ALERT: Big Firm Lawyers, I have a proposition for you. (Please read through, serious proposition). As noted in the previous post, I'm very very interested in getting copies of the "agreements" big firms are making with Trump. (My encrypted channels below.) Or at least what is circulated to ... - ThreadSky

joshtpm.bsky.social • 2 days ago

ALERT: Big Firm Lawyers, I have a proposition for you. (Please read through, serious proposition). As noted in the previous post, I'm very very interested in getting copies of the "agreements" big firms are making with Trump. (My encrypted channels below.) Or at least what is circulated to ...

Comments

karlamcgill.bsky.social•2 days ago

So with pro bono work what happens if these lawyers actually follow the law and tell the truth to a judge and tRump case gets thrown out. Will they get fired like the ‘administrative leave’ guy? Sent to El Salvador? We know most of his lawsuits are BS already! What a predicament!

marshy65.bsky.social•1 day ago

A&OS is an interesting one because it is originally a magic circle firm that recently merged with Shearman. It will be worth seeing whether their brand is tarnished in London and places like Australia.

joegasparrini.bsky.social•2 days ago

Fantastic reporting work, Josh. You will be rewarded with some scoops for thinking of this and having the cohones to put it out there. Bravo.

paulcallahanmv.bsky.social•1 day ago

How is this even happening? I don't expect lawyers to be brave, but I do expect them to be smart.

paulcallahanmv.bsky.social•1 day ago

And by "smart" what I mean is that any idiot know that an extortionist always comes back with new demands. What do they think they're accomplishing?

mere--mortal.bsky.social•1 day ago

...or the horse could sing.

bobertonbluesky.bsky.social•1 day ago

Also, as others have previously pointed out, lawyers have ethical obligations to clients. Yes, firms are being put between a rock and a hard place here with the administration (illegally) threatening access for legally protected activity. But what clients will trust them going forward?

bobertonbluesky.bsky.social•1 day ago

And how do they square that with their obligations to their clients? They have to have clients with cases adverse to the current administration; these agreements bring serious questions as to the firms’ and their lawyers’ commitment to zealous advocacy on their behalf.

dndanddogs.bsky.social•1 day ago

I’ve been alarmed as well, but I’m starting to wonder whether it’s a tempest in a teapot. Agreeing to take hypothetical future cases, and pledging $100M in “pro bono,” is different than taking actual cases and doing work. Could be illusory. Waiting to see if Biglaw actually takes a Trump case.

paulcallahanmv.bsky.social•1 day ago

Even if they think it's a meaningless agreement, there's a societal cost to cooperating to a demand that should not have been made in the first place. It lends legitimacy to Trump's grievances and to his power grab. It has to stop.

dndanddogs.bsky.social•1 day ago

All obviously true.

dndanddogs.bsky.social•1 day ago

And if Biglaw takes a Trump case, how do they staff it? Maybe a partner is at the top of the caption page, but they have a junior run it. In that event, Trump would get the Biglaw name, but suboptimal representation—they’d get smoked by more senior lawyers on the other side at smaller firms.

mpjchicago.bsky.social•1 day ago

I expect my fellow lawyers to be brave. We took an oath. Living up to that oath can, in contexts like this, require bravery.

paulcallahanmv.bsky.social•1 day ago

Well sadly, a lot are caving into extortion. Maybe the threat is worse than I thought, but if universities and law firms can't stand up to this power grab, who is going to?

djw1974.bsky.social•1 day ago

Having attended an Ivy League law school I can attest that they’re neither brave or street smart. Just greedy, shortsighted scaredy cats.

joshtpm.bsky.social•2 days ago

2/ the firm's lawyers as the descriptions of the agreement, etc. Whatever you have; confidentiality of course assured. From what I can tell though an even bigger deal in many ways than the agreements themselves is that many big firms are now passing on or refusing business from ....

joshtpm.bsky.social•2 days ago

3/ White House-disfavored clients. So, hey, Big Firm, I'd like to do X and the response is, hey, love ya but it's just not the time. I know there are many of you out there who are seeing this. And you feel that people should know that stuff like this is happening. But not only do you not want ...

joshtpm.bsky.social•2 days ago

4/ to be caught outing your firm you also don't want to out your firm. Now, if you DO want to out your firm, hey, let's do it, baby. I can 100% roll with that. But what I want to be clear about it is that you can come to me through secure channels, tell me about something that's happening and ...

joshtpm.bsky.social•2 days ago

5/ I can report that without ever mentioning your firm's name. So I know that this kind of potential client went to a Top 20 firm and was turned away, etc. That totally works for me. And the important point is, you make the rules. And for crystal clarity, if we agree that it's client of this ...

joshtpm.bsky.social•2 days ago

6/ general type getting turned away at a Top 20 firm or a Top 50 firm or whatever, there's no future set of events that changes our agreement, unless you change it yourself. I say this because I know it's an extremely vulnerable position to feel you're giving information to someone you may not ...

joshtpm.bsky.social•2 days ago

7/ know that well and having to trust they will use it only in the way you agreed with them that they would use it AND that they will be careful enough not to make some careless or stupid mistake that gets you in trouble. On this front the best I can say is that I've been doing this ...

thesarahrose.bsky.social•1 day ago

📌

cindyruiz10.bsky.social•1 day ago

We’re so grateful to all Law
Firms AND Judges standing up to this administration and for our democracy! We NEED YOU!

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/11/law-firms-trump-law-student-recruiting-00007900

https://www.brennancenter.org/issues

blondejustice.bsky.social•1 day ago

I’m extremely interested in the enforceability of these agreements….

anotherbob.bsky.social•1 day ago

Yes. This is what journalism should be about. Thank you. As a subscriber, I’m proud to be a small part of TPM.

queenofcroissant.bsky.social•2 days ago

I hope you contacted a very well known legal contributor on a cable news channel, who is also a partner at one of those cooperating firms?

johnnicolay.bsky.social•2 days ago

I’m pretty sure that what Trump is tweeting out in these tweets *IS* the actual agreement … there isn’t anything else.

anewperspective.bsky.social•1 day ago

I love how it says they’ll have to provide pro bono work to represent the very people his administration is fucking over. Makes a lot of sense, huh?

lalenjames.bsky.social•1 day ago

No way he actually wrote all this with perfect spelling. Looks like something a lawyer wrote, probably the same one who is orchestrating all this lawfare.

huskerdont.bsky.social•2 days ago

Why the fuck would anyone with even a shred of dignity agree to this?

1984-obrien.bsky.social•1 day ago

This is the question. What causes masses of decent moral Americans to agree to be suborned into permanent indenture to Trump? Trump has a process he has always used and it often works. There needs to be a resistance playbook that informs and prepares people to not cave to his overtures.

566unicorns.bsky.social•1 day ago

It's indefensibly vague & self-contradictory in places, and because it's posted on a social media platform, it's not a legal document. The firms would have to sign a particular document to be legally binding, it's probably not just this.

johnnicolay.bsky.social•1 day ago

I’m telling you, the text of the actual documents is this, word-for-word.

In the circumstances, the question of whether it’s legally binding is kind of beside the point.

1984-obrien.bsky.social•1 day ago

The house has odds and despite his deficiencies, Trump comes across as someone who has understood probable outcomes for a long time and knows how to take advantage of them.

566unicorns.bsky.social•1 day ago

Certainly can't argue with that! The legal indefensibly of all this is going to have the courts tied up for years. It's like a denial-of-service cyber attack, where you completely overload the system with requests that it just shuts down. Talk about weaponizing the law.

tennisdiva63.bsky.social•1 day ago

Greed

rswatsonesq.bsky.social•2 days ago

It's supposed to be for causes to which both sides agree to support. What happens when both sides don't agree to the matter/cause? Does it hinge on attorney ethics discipline risk or simply that they won't violate the law? Is there a limit on the number of times the firm can decline a matter?

beccanalia.bsky.social•2 days ago

📌

barblieberman.bsky.social•2 days ago

Anyone heard from @nealkatyal.bsky.social lately?

marylam99.bsky.social•2 days ago

I read he just started working for one of the big law firms that are playing along - Milbank?

barblieberman.bsky.social•2 days ago

That's why I'm asking. Normally, he's in MSNBC, etc. He's been silent everywhere since this was announced. When it was Doug Emhoff's form, he spoke up saying it was wrong. But nothing from Neal?

barblieberman.bsky.social•2 days ago

*on MSNBC
*Doug Emhoff's form
(Sorry for the typos)

xavzeman.bsky.social•2 days ago

Why are you asking

barblieberman.bsky.social•2 days ago

He works for one of the capitulating firms and hasn't been around since.

xavzeman.bsky.social•2 days ago

Knowing him, he will resign

barblieberman.bsky.social•2 days ago

That could be what's going on behind the scenes. But I'm not holding my breath. Too many caving right now

alden001.bsky.social•2 days ago

Yea. I never expected any less of him. Really.

barblieberman.bsky.social•2 days ago

Sad. So many caving.

queensmary.bsky.social•1 day ago

#LawFIRMSlettingOneFukknManCONTROLThemGrowSomeFUKKNBalls

julibcr.bsky.social•1 day ago

Me too. All this free legal work you guys are going to do for him? What exactly is your problem? Oh, forgot to stand in line when God was giving out spines?? I suppose you didn't wait around for a conscience, either?

lumpypeaches.bsky.social•2 days ago

Lotta $$$ to be made working with monopolies aka "tariff exempted companies"

teabelly.bsky.social•2 days ago

I hope there is a mass exodus of good lawyers and people who start new firms. The new white shoe firms that represent American law and not the President's.

joesantel.bsky.social•1 day ago

1. Does this post leave you open to claims of "Tortious interference" down the road?

2. Are you confident, in the present climate, that you can offer any manor of shield to your sources?

3. I am a strong supporter of your efforts, but the ground is shifting and I have concerns

wkmaier158.bsky.social•1 day ago

What amazes me is how many corrupt and weak-willed lawyers our law schools are churning out. It’s almost like ethics isn’t a subject being taught.

maceri.bsky.social•2 days ago

Even with signed agreements Trump won't keep his word.

jasonegenberg.bsky.social•2 days ago

He blew up the economy, paused the explosion, then claimed he saved us. Trump’s latest stunt is pure chaos wrapped in ego—and it’s costing us trillions. The market didn’t rebound. It flinched. The truth behind the 90-day tariff pause will piss you off.

https://jasonegenberg.substack.com/p/the-arsonist-with-a-firehose-donald

occupyonelove.bsky.social•2 days ago

FOIA?

alden001.bsky.social•2 days ago

Private firms? Trump didn’t file said agreements anywhere they can be reclaimed/requested/or retrieved.

occupyonelove.bsky.social•2 days ago

If he got a copy, it should be part of Natl Records.

2slow2courteous.bsky.social•1 day ago

Can’t enforce it without a record

riversfan.bsky.social•1 day ago

where is the aba who should be defending the firms receiving threats? why aren't the firms joining together to sue the vain cowardly bully currently occupying the oval office? where is justice in america?????

mere--mortal.bsky.social•1 day ago

Immune from criminal prosecution, protected from civil suits while in office. The Supreme Court and the Department of Justice created a king.

mpjchicago.bsky.social•1 day ago

The ABA and other bar associations are standing up. The Justice Dept has. I understand, banned their lawyers from attending ABA events (big first amendment violation).

jennysampson.bsky.social•1 day ago

There’s got to be enough unhappy BigLaw attorneys to create a new BigLaw firm. You should also help network these guys…

modemjunkie.bsky.social•2 days ago

@skyview.social unroll please

greenfieldnana.bsky.social•1 day ago

The Washington Post reports that half of the attorneys in the Office of the Solicitor General in the Department of Justice are either leaving their jobs or preparing to do so, for reasons including disagreements with directives handed down from the White House. Now at least eight of the office’s

greenfieldnana.bsky.social•1 day ago

2/ 16-member staff are leaving, dealing a blow to its credibility.
https://newrepublic.com/post/193790/justice-department-lawyers-leave-jobs-trump

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