Over A Thousand Law Students Sign Amicus Brief Rallying Behind Susman Godfrey

Several prominent Biglaw firms like Skadden, Paul Weiss and Kirkland preferred to expose their bellies to Trump rather than fight the likely unconstitutional Executive Order that punished them for doing their jobs. Thankfully, other Biglaw firms have enough of a backbone to resist obeying in advance. Susman Godfrey is one of the firms at the head of the fight — they’re also getting a lot of support as they prepare for battle.

Many have spoken out against Trump’s targeted attacks on the rule of law: a sitting Supreme Court justice, a former Supreme Court justice, hundreds of law school professors; the list goes on. And as important as it is to have resistance come from well established lawyers and jurists, it is just as important for support for the rule of law to come to the future stewards of the field: law students. Over a thousand law students took a break from studying their outlines to signal support for Susman Godfrey’s side.

Reuters has coverage:

More than 1,100 law students on Tuesday filed a court brief supporting law firm Susman Godfrey, saying U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order against the firm amounts to “government reprisal.”

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Brennan Caruthers, one of the students who signed Tuesday’s brief, told Reuters he hoped it would signal to other firms that have not yet taken a stance that “this is something that students care about” and could affect where they choose to practice law.

“We believe the rule of law is extremely important,” said Caruthers, a third-year law student at the University of Texas Law School.

This is the most recent of several ways that law students showed their commitment to the rule of law. Last month, a group of Georgetown students kindly let Skadden know that they didn’t even have to bother with trying to recruit from the Energy Law Group after displaying their cowardice. The dean of UC Berkeley School of Law, Erwin Chemerinsky, suggested that students should factor in which law firms fought for the rule of law when they send in their applications. You shouldn’t be surprised if you see an uptick of Georgetown students applying to work at Susman Godfrey in the years to come.

More Than 1,100 Law Students Back Susman Godfrey In Its Lawsuit Over Trump Order [Reuters]

Earlier: Law Students Getting In On The Amicus Brief Action Challenging Trump Executive Order

Georgetown Law Student Group Calls Skadden Cowards, Opts Out Of Recruitment Event

T14 Law School Dean Encourages Students To Take Into Account Whether Biglaw Firms ‘Capitulated’ When Making Career Decisions

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Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.