An Uprising at a Big Law Firm Targeted by Trump

Hundreds of associates at A&O Shearman have openly put their names on a letter pleading with leadership not to settle.

(Composite / Photos: GettyImages / Shutterstock)

[Editor’s note, April 11, 2025, 1:40 p.m.: This story has been updated to reflect President Trump’s announcement of an agreement with Kirkland & Ellis, A&O Sherman, Simpson Thatcher, and Latham & Watkins.]

MORE THAN 500 ASSOCIATES and staff at a top global law firm sent a letter Friday morning urging the firm’s leadership not to enter into a consent agreement with Donald Trump as the White House ramps up its targeting of the legal profession.

The effort being spearheaded by officials at Allen Overy Shearman Sterling LLP (A&O Shearman) was an attempt to stave off a deal first hinted at in a new report that the firm was among a group of big-name legal entities looking to craft a deal with the White House to avert restrictions on its business. But shortly after the letter was sent, Trump announced that the deal had been completed, with the firm set to provide $125 million in pro-bono legal services along with changes to its hiring practices.

The letter sent to A&O Shearman leadership acknowledged that the firm was “facing an unprecedented threat, and that there are no risk-free options in these circumstances.”

But, it added, “we firmly believe that agreements of this nature contribute to the degradation of the rule of law in the United States. Likewise, we firmly believe that a similar agreement would be detrimental to A&O Shearman’s business interests both in the United States and internationally, in terms of client relationships, employee retention, recruitment, and the firm’s US and global reputation, both now and in the future.”

An official at the firm told The Bulwark that, as of this morning, 205 of the more than 500 signatories had attached their actual names to the letter. The others signed anonymously. The firm employs roughly 4,000 lawyers globally.

The letter represents a remarkable level of internal pushback that has not been witnessed at other firms that have either settled with Trump or entertained the possibility. And it suggests that angst over these settlements is hitting a boiling point among mid- and lower-level associates—many of whom believe that earlier deals cut by firms only emboldened the White House to continue targeting the industry.

“Greed is the only answer that makes sense to me,” said one associate at a targeted firm, expressing exasperation with those who have settled.

On Friday morning, the Wall Street Journal reported that Latham & Watkins, Simpson Thacher, and Kirkland & Ellis were also nearing deals with the administration that would involve each firm agreeing to $125 million in pro-bono services. The paper said that the firms were “also asked if they would contribute to a fund for people alleging they were harmed by diversity, equity and inclusion practices, but they resisted.” Trump, who has already said he wants to direct pro bono work toward trade negotiations and securing new coal projects domestically, later announced that all four firms had agreed to the settlement. The total of $500 million in pro bono work they agreed to comes in addition to the $340 million in pro bono services Trump has already secured.

To date, only three targeted firms have chosen to fight the White House’s actions: Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, and WilmerHale. (Full disclosure: This reporter has a family member employed at Jenner.) Those firms have found success in the courts, where judges have blocked the bulk of the administration’s orders, which include stripping security clearances, prohibiting access to federal buildings, and restricting the capacity of the firms to represent government contractors.