Donald Trump Made Americans Hate Lawyers Again

And lawyers want absolutely nothing to do with the firms that helped the former president.

(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Thanks in part to former President Donald Trump, the legal profession, the justice system, and the rule of law writ large has been through the wringer over the course of the past four years. From the Muslim ban, revoking DACA, and tearing families apart at the border to stacking federal courts with unqualified judges and pushing through controversial Supreme Court justices to using the Attorney General and the Justice Department as personal attorneys to the Biglaw firms that happily accepted the ex-president as a client until it was not okay anymore to not one, but two impeachments, the Trump administration has really impacted what the general public thinks of lawyers — and not necessarily in a good way.

We polled more than 150 attorneys from law firms of all sizes and a varied number of practice areas to find out how the legal profession has changed thanks to the Trump administration. Below are their interesting responses.

How do you think the widespread legal challenges to Trump administration actions have affected the general perception of the legal profession?

This one was a bit of a toss-up. An equal portion of respondents (29.03%) reported that the widespread legal challenges to Trump administration actions have greatly harmed the reputation of the legal profession or have had no effect on the reputation of the legal profession. 

How do you think the actions of lawyers in the Trump administration have affected the general perception of the legal profession?

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Over half of respondents reported that they believe the reputation of the legal profession was harmed greatly by the actions of lawyers in the Trump administration.

How do you think firms’ reputations were affected through advising on Trump administration efforts, like the challenges to the 2020 election?

Almost 60 percent of respondents reported that they believed firms’ reputations were harmed greatly through advising Trump administration efforts.

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How do you perceive the criticism that has been leveled at law firms involved in these efforts?

The largest cohort of respondents (47.37%) reported that they believed criticism leveled at firms involved in such efforts is extremely justified.

Would a firm’s role in representing the Trump administration affect your decision on whether to join that firm?

Here, 75.86% of respondents stated that a firm’s role in representing the Trump administration would negatively affect their decision to join that firm.

Would a firm’s role in challenging the Trump administration affect your decision on whether to join that firm?

Almost 70 percent of respondents said that a firm’s decision to challenge the Trump administration would positively affect their decision to join the firm.

Now that Joe Biden is president, will we see improvement in the way the public perceives the legal profession? It’s only been a few weeks, but we have hope for a brighter future for lawyers with a new administration in place.


Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.