NEWS: Schiff, Blumenthal, Raskin Demand Answers from Capitulating Big Law Firms Doing Trump’s Bidding

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), also a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, pressed top law firms for information regarding pro bono legal services they are providing to President Trump's pet causes after the firms submitted to the Trump administration's threats of unlawful and unconstitutional executive orders and sham investigations.

Schiff, Blumenthal, and Raskin wrote to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (Skadden Arps); Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (Paul Weiss); and Kirland & Ellis, LLP (Kirkland) following reports that the firms are providing free legal services on "a range of matters" for the U.S. Department of Commerce.

"Your previous response of April 14, 2025, failed to provide any of the requested records or information vital to our Committees' understanding of why your law firm promised $100 million in pro bono legal services to causes hand-picked by President Trump, stating only that Skadden will provide pro bono legal services 'to causes that the Administration and Skadden both support'," the Members wrote in a letter to Skadden Arps.

The Members raised concerns that these law firms' work for the Commerce Department suggests that the Trump administration is continuing to coerce firms into providing legal services outside the parameters of the agreements the firms had previously described, "Now, just months after striking a deal with the Administration, Skadden was reportedly connected with the U.S. Department of Commerce in order to provide the Commerce Department with legal services pursuant to the deal. These reports come as other law firms that have also capitulated to the Administration's unlawful and unconstitutional coercion are reportedly doing pro bono work for the Commerce Department. Any legal services provided to the Commerce Department by Skadden would clearly fall outside of the scope of the deal you previously described-aiding veterans, combatting antisemitism, and promoting fairness in the justice system-suggesting that the Administration's coercion of your law firm may be ongoing and escalating."

"Absent coercion from the administration it is difficult to understand how Skadden would identify the Commerce Department-a government agency with 13 bureaus, a proposed $8.6 billion in Fiscal Year 2026 discretionary funding-as eligible for pro bono services. Your own website describes Skadden's pro bono practice as providing legal services to 'a wide variety of nonpartisan charitable endeavors,' which is impossible to square with any work on behalf of the Commerce Department," the Members continued.

The Members pointed out that the firms' work with the Commerce Department may be in violation of federal law, "Further, as you are certainly aware, providing legal services to the Commerce Department without compensation may violate the law. The Antideficiency Act, and in particular 31 USC § 1342, prohibits the Government from accepting voluntary services and has limited exceptions in order to ensure the Government is not on the hook for financial obligations Congress has not explicitly appropriated."

Schiff, Blumenthal, and Raskin are also seeking additional information to better understand the contours of any work Skadden Arps, Paul Weiss, and Kirkland are performing for-and at the request of-the U.S. government.

The full text of Blumenthal, Raskin, and Schiff's letter to Skadden Arps is available here

Similar letters sent to Kirkland and Paul Weiss are available here and here

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