Michael Avenatti (Photo by Jennifer S. Altman/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
As far as we know, Squire Patton Boggs, the Biglaw firm which had a “strategic alliance” with Donald Trump’s lawyer/fixer Michael Cohen, is not under investigation by the Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, or any other body. But that doesn’t mean that the pressure isn’t mounting on the firm.
Sure, we know they are trying to distance themselves from the dumpster fire that is Cohen, saying:
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At all times, Cohen maintained his independence, was not an employee of the firm, and did not maintain files or bill clients through the firm.
But the revelations that have come to light about Cohen’s shell company, Essential Consultants, and the money collected from big-name companies for access and insights into the Trump administration have cast a pall on the Biglaw firm. This weekend on the MSNBC show AM Joy, Stormy Daniels’s attorney, Michael Avenatti, specifically called for an investigation into the relationship between Squire Patton Boggs and Cohen.
He began, and also tweeted, by noting the unusual relationship between the Biglaw firm and Cohen. Cohen doesn’t have anywhere close to good enough academic or legal bona fides to get his foot in the door at the firm — even if they don’t classify him as as employee — in any timeline save this darkest one where Donald Trump is the U.S. President. Avenatti also pointed to the money that connects the firm to the activities of Cohen. No, Cohen was never a registered lobbyist, but that sure feels like the closest description to explain how he collected so much money from companies.
Squire Patton Boggs hiring/working with Mr. Cohen makes no sense. That firm usually only hires and works with the most highly educated, competent lawyers. We know of money flowing between EC, LLC & the law firm. They need to come clean & release ALL of the details re: Mr. Cohen.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) May 12, 2018
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On AM Joy, Avenatti speculated that the reason Squire Patton Boggs cultivated a relationship with Cohen was to supplement their well-known lobbying business. (Yes, Avenatti refers to the firm by its pre-merger name, but we all know the firm he means.)
What did Michael Cohen sell to Patton Boggs as it related to the idea that they were going to allow Michael Cohen come to the law firm? It’s pretty clear to me what he sold them. What he sold them was a book of clients, a book of corporations or individuals that had already retained him for access to the U.S. president.
Given the questionable status of Cohen’s activities (and the amount of cash being funneled in, out, and around his shell company), Avenatti believes the Biglaw firm “needs to be investigated”:
That needs to be the next inquiry, what did Patton Boggs know, and when did they know it? Did they know that Michael Cohen was lobbying? Did they not know it?
Then came the exchange that should strike fear into the heart (do Biglaw firms have hearts?) of Squire Patton Boggs. Given Avenatti’s propensity for having the inside scoop on all things Cohen-related (don’t forget, he was the one who exposed the financial dealings of Essential Consultants), Joy Reid asked him if he already knew the answer to the questions he was asking about the Biglaw firm. He replied:
We may know a couple of things.
We can’t wait until he’s ready to spill all the beans on the Biglaw firm.
Kathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).