Back in the day, S&C reportedly refused to represent Trump, allowing them to avoid having to trade deep-pocketed clients anxious to distance their brands from the most toxic client in America, in exchange for the honor of getting stiffed on the bill. But this time around, corporate America appears actively interested in currying favor with the White House any way they can and a cozy relationship with Trump is not only no longer a negative, it might actually be a firm selling point. And so Sullivan & Cromwell publicly announced that it’s going to represent Trump as he challenges the hush money conviction.
For their sake, I hope they’ve already written off any potential fees.
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Firm leadership might see this matter as an opportunity to show clients that they have Trump’s ear, which remains surprisingly pristine one for a guy who swears it was shot off by a sniper. But the decision is already alienating the firm’s attorneys.
According to one S&C attorney who purports to have spoken with multiple S&C colleagues, the mood is that everyone is “upset with the announcement that we’ll be representing Trump.” Another notes that it will “likely to grow into a morale drain among associates.” An attorney on Reddit put it bluntly, “Is it dramatic to want to leave? I’m a POC and I know everyone has a right to a fair trial but (in my eyes) he is a sexual predator/fascist/criminal/threat to democracy and I feel a little too uncomfortable considering just how much damage this man has done.”
And while there may be general dismay with representing Trump as a person, for one S&C lawyer it’s less about the client than that client’s history of forcing his lawyers to publicly debase themselves by litigating cases his way.
It does not appear that we are treating this like a normal S&C appeal where we stay quiet and do great legal work. To have the head of the Firm talking about D.A. Bragg “target[ing]” President Trump is completely antithetical to anything I have experienced in my time at the Firm before. I had always been proud that we emphasize precision and accuracy in what we say—eschewing exaggerations, hyperbole and personal attacks. Very alienating to see senior management abandoning that.
It seems S&C has entered its Roy Cohn era.
S&C pays market and provides matching bonuses so they’ll not find themselves bereft of talent right away. But when the next up-and-coming talent weighs their summer offers or a thriving associate gets a call from a recruiter… are they going to be interested in a career with Roy Cohn Lite, LLP or somewhere else?
Earlier: Sullivan & Cromwell Joins Trump Defense As Age Of Obsequiousness Begins!
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter or Bluesky if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.