Katyal
(Photo
by
Eva
Marie
Uzcategui/Bloomberg
via
Getty
Images)
Milbank
partner
Neal
Katyal
is
working
on
behalf
of
New
Jersey
“sanctuary
cities”
—
specifically
Newark
and
Hoboken
—
in
litigation
against
the
federal
government.
The
Trump
administration
filed
a
complaint
against
Newark
and
Hoboken
(and
two
other
cites)
alleging
the
jurisdictions
were
“thwart[ing]
federal
immigration
enforcement.”
In
order
to
make
the
representation
financially
work,
the
high-profile
litigator
(and
the
other
Milbank
attorneys
working
on
the
matter)
slashed
his
hourly
rate
some
90%.
Katyal
normally
charges
$3,250
an
hour,
but
that
will
be
cut
down
to
only
$300
an
hour,
to
be
split
between
Newark
and
Hoboken.
Reuters
has
the
deets
on
the
funding:
Here,
Milbank
in
defending
the
two
cities
said
it
agreed
to
reduce
its
standard
rates
because
a
third-party
—
the
nonprofit
Goodnation
Foundation
—
is
picking
up
part
of
the
legal
tab.
Hoboken
said
it
will
not
pay
more
than
$53,000
in
any
calendar
year
to
Milbank.In
a
statement
on
Friday,
the
Goodnation
Foundation
said
it
may
help
underwrite
legal
defense
“in
select
cases
where
the
public
interest
is
served
and
community
needs
are
paramount.”The
foundation
said
it
does
not
typically
disclose
details
of
its
funding,
which
it
said
comes
from
“donors
committed
to
advancing
access
to
justice.”
Given
the
witch
hunt
vibes
of
2025,
it’s
news
when
any
law
firm
stands
up
to
fight
the
oppressive
policies
of
the
Trump
administration.
But
it’s
especially
eye
popping
that
Milbank
is
standing
up
to
Trump
—
and
not
making
its
usual
big
bucks
in
the
process.
See,
Milbank
is
one
of
the nine
Biglaw
firms that
courted
infamy
by
capitulating
to
the
threats
of
Donald
Trump
and
agreeing
to
provide hundred
of
millions
in
pro
bono
payola to
conservative
clients
and
causes.
These
deals
have
garnered
a
lot
of
criticism
from around
the
industry. since
the
Executive
Orders
that
were
threatened
were unconstitutional power
grabs
and
many
wondered,
if
a
firm
won’t
stand
up
to
the
bullying
of
the
Trump
administration
for
themselves, how
will
they
do
it
for
clients?
So,
after
showing
their
belly
to
Trump,
it
is
noteworthy
Milbank
is
using
their
lawyerly
skill
to
work
against
Trump
—
particularly
on
immigration,
which
has
been
a
real
sticking
point
for
the
administration.
And
it
isn’t
the
first
time
—
Katyal
is
also
working
on
the
fight
against
the
president’s
so-called
“Liberation
Day”
tariffs.
It’s
clear
that
many
firms
that
inked
deals
with
Trump
are
merely
trying
to
ride
it
out
and
are
low
key
hoping
that
pro
bono
bill
never
comes
due.
But
Milbank’s
schizophrenic
strategy
of
sucking
up
to
Trump
on
one
hand
then
railing
against
key
Trumpian
initiatives
on
the
other
is
unique,
and
it’ll
be
interesting
to
see
how
it
all
plays
out.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].