not
you.
It’s
me.
Biglaw
partners
and
associates
—
and
perhaps
clients,
too
—
continue
to
flee
firms
that
capitulated
to
Trump,
promising
nearly
$1
billion
in
pro
bono
payola
for
conservative
causes.
The
powers
that
be
at
firms
outside
of
these
dastardly
deals
are
collectively
wiping
their
brows,
happy
to
stay
far,
far
away
from
all
of
the
negative
publicity.
But
what
if
a
high-powered
Biglaw
firm
is
representing
one
of
Trump’s
many
business
tentacles
outside
of
the
presidency?
Can
an
associate
at
one
of
those
firms
dare
to
publicly
criticize
Trump?
As
it
turns
out,
the
answer
is
no.
Davis
Polk
&
Wardwell
—
a
firm
that
brought
in
$2,540,000,000
gross
revenue
in
2024,
putting
it
at
No.
17
on
the
Am
Law
100
—
has
thus
far
avoided
Trump’s
ire.
It
hasn’t
been
targeted
with
any
vindictive
executive
orders,
nor
has
it
been
named
in
any
bogus
EEOC
investigations
looking
into
its
diversity
practices.
That
may
be
because
DPW
is
currently
(quietly)
representing
Trump
Media
&
Technology
Group
Corp.
as
it
works
with
Crypto.com. But
how
much
longer
will
that
peace
last?
Ryan
Powers,
formerly
of
the
elite
firm,
claims
he
was
fired
after
writing
op-eds
that
were
critical
of
the
Trump
administration,
without
first
obtaining
approval.
The
Harvard
Law
grad
says
that
on
June
11,
he
was
warned
that
he
needed
to
stop,
but
he
refused.
Here’s
what
happened
next,
per
his
Substack:
The
next
day,
I
wrote
an
article
about
the
Trump
administration’s
ability
to
track
protestors
and
the
grave
First
Amendment
concerns
it
raised.
I
gave
the
firm
an
opportunity
to
review
it,
made
clear
the
views
articulated
were
entirely
my
own,
and
emphasized
that
the
piece
addressed
urgent
issues
of
public
concern.
I
asked
for
a
written
explanation
if
the
firm
objected.Four
hours
later,
I
was
fired
and
escorted
from
the
building
by
two
security
guards.
The
entire
process
lasted
less
than
five
minutes.
By
the
time
I
arrived
home,
my
name
had
already
been
removed
from
the
firm’s
website.
“The
firm
needs
to
do
what
it
needs
to
do
to
protect
whatever
interests
that
they
choose
to
support,”
Powers
said
in
an
interview
with
Bloomberg
Law.
“I
understand
why
they
are
doing
what
they’re
doing.
At
the
same
time,
it’s
very
sad
on
a
personal
level
because
it
ends
my
Big
Law
career
sooner
than
I
had
anticipated
and
in
a
very
different
way
than
I
had
anticipated.”
Powers
went
on
to
say
that
his
former
firm
“should
be
embarrassed”
that
it’s
working
for
Trump
Media.
“We
tout
our
commitment
to
social
responsibility
through
our
pro
bono
partners
and
the
kind
of
causes
that
we
take
up
as
part
of
official
firm
practice,”
he
told
Bloomberg,
“and
then
we
are
partnering
with
a
namesake
organization
to
a
sitting
president
who
has
not
supported
those
values.”
Powers
believes
that
what
happened
to
him
was
about
more
than
just
one
associate
at
one
firm
being
fired
for
voicing
his
point
of
view
—
“it
was
a
warning,”
he
writes.
“When
the
institutions
built
to
support
the
rule
of
law
fall
quiet,
the
silence
speaks
volumes.”
Here’s
more
from
his
Substack:
Big
Law
employees
aren’t
bankers
or
PR
professionals.
We
are
attorneys
–
specifically
trained
to
navigate
complex
legal
systems
and
bound
by
an
oath
to
support
the
rule
of
law.
Lawyers
are
the
first
line
of
defense
in
a
constitutional
crisis,
and
we
cannot
expect
public
defenders
or
legal
aid
clinics
to
carry
that
burden
alone.
The
truth
is,
that
job
belongs
to
all
of
us
–
and
Big
Law
has
the
resources,
influence,
and
platform
to
stand
firm
when
it
counts.
With
that
power
comes
a
responsibility
not
just
to
our
clients,
but
to
the
legal
profession
itself.
Democracy
doesn’t
stand
a
chance
without
it.
Lawyers
like
Ryan
Powers
who
are
willing
to
make
their
voices
heard,
no
matter
the
cost,
continue
to
be
our
last
line
of
defense
for
democracy.
Make
your
voices
heard.
Condemn
Trump’s
attacks
against
lawyers.
Protect
the
profession.
It
is
crucial
that
you
rise
up
to
protect
the
rule
of
law,
which
can
only
bend
so
much
until
it
breaks
and
our
democracy
lays
in
ruins.
Davis
Polk
Axes
Associate
Over
Writings
Criticizing
Trump
[Bloomberg
Law]
Inside
Big
Law:
The
Cost
of
Silence
is
Democracy
Itself
[Ryan
W.
Powers
Substack]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.