This marks the third law firm to reach an agreement with Trump who has recently suspended security clearances for lawyers from several other firms.
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had struck a deal with the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, whose partners include Doug Emhoff, the husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Under the agreement, Willkie Farr will provide $100 million in free legal services to causes backed by both the firm and the Trump administration, including assisting veterans and other public servants, ensuring fairness in the U.S. justice system, and combatting anti-Semitism.
In a Truth Social post, Trump stated that the firm committed to “merit-based hiring, promotion, and retention,” ensuring it will not engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion-based practices.
Willkie Farr also affirmed that it will not discriminate against job candidates based on their political beliefs and will not deny representation to clients because of its lawyers’ personal political views.
This marks the third law firm to reach an agreement with Trump, who has also in recent weeks issued executive orders suspending security clearances for lawyers at other major firms, including Jenner & Block and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (Paul Weiss).
Willkie Farr’s chairman, Thomas Cerabino, said in a statement shared by Trump that the substance of the agreement “is consistent with our firm’s views on access to legal representation by clients.”
“The Firm looks forward to having a constructive relationship with the Trump Administration, and remains committed to serving the needs of our clients, our employees, and the communities of which we are a part,” Cerabino stated.
Trump’s post also included a White House statement saying that Willkie Farr had “proactively” reached out to the president to offer “their decisive commitment to ending the Weaponization of the Justice System and the Legal Profession.”
Apart from Emhoff, the firm’s partners include Timothy Heaphy, who served as chief investigative counsel for the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. The firm also represented two former Georgia election workers in a successful defamation lawsuit against former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who falsely accused the workers of manipulating the 2020 ballot.
