The
nine
Biglaw
firms
that
capitulated
to
the
threats
of
Donald
Trump
and
agreed
to
provide
hundred
of
millions
in
pro
bono
payola
to
conservative
clients
and
causes
have
garnered
a
lot
of
criticism
from
around
the
industry.
And
for
good
reason
—
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?
Well,
Milbank
is
showing
the
world
that
despite
inking
a
deal
with
the
administration,
they
just
might
be
willing
to
court
Trump’s
ire.
Back
in
April,
Milbank
promised
$100
million
for
Trump’s
pro
bono
war
chest
to
avoid
an
onerous
EO.
But
yesterday,
the
firm
signed
onto
a
lawsuit
challenging
some
of
Trump’s
actions.
Milbank
partner
and
former
acting
solicitor
general
Neal
Katyal,
along
with
former
federal
judge
Michael
McConnell,
now
at
Wilson
Sonsini,
have
signed
on
to
be
co-counsel
in
a
case
challenging
the
president’s
so-called
“Liberation
Day”
tariffs.
Katyal
said
in
a
statement,
“These
presidential
actions
fall
on
the
wrong
side
of
the
line.
I
look
forward
to
vindicating
our
Founders’
view
of
the
separation
of
powers,
and
to
restoring
the
primacy
of
Congress
over
such
major
questions.”
The
plaintiffs
are
a
group
of
small
businesses
impacted
by
the
tariffs.
Represented
by
the
libertarian-leaning
legal
non-profit
the
Liberty
Justice
Center,
they
won
a
case
in
front
of
the
U.S.
Court
of
International
Trade
arguing
that
Trump
overstepped
his
authority.
The
government
has
appealed
the
decision
(as
well
as
a
separate
decision
against
the
tariffs),
and
plaintiffs
brought
in
the
Biglaw
guns
for
the
appellate
fight.
It
must
be
quite
reassuring
to
clients,
as
well
as
the
rank-and-file
at
the
firm,
to
know
that
Milbank
is
more
than
just
the
administration’s
legal
lapdog.
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].