More than 500 law firms in the United States have united in their support for Perkins Coie LLP, which is among several legal offices that are being targeted by the current administration under President Donald Trump. In a brief filed on Friday, these law firms accuse the Trump administration of engaging in a campaign of “draconian punishment” against legal professionals who represent individuals and causes that the President opposes. They argue that this poses a threat to the legal profession, and that any short-term advantage gained through such actions would be ultimately harmful to the rule of law.

Perkins Coie is one of four major law firms targeted by executive orders. These orders accuse the firms of destructive practices detrimental to American interests and seek to revoke their security clearances, as well as bar their personnel from entering federal buildings. Each law firm targeted represented a cause or person that Trump has spoken against. For example, Perkins Coie represents former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while WilmerHale hired Robert Mueller, the lawyer who headed the Federal Bureau of Investigation and investigated alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The amicus brief argues that the executive orders threaten the survival of law firms and will likely discourage clients from seeking legal representation. It also calls upon the federal courts to establish a permanent injunction against Trump’s executive orders, citing the precedent of other unpopular legal representations, such as John Adams’ defense of British colonists.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/5/more-than-500-firms-sign-brief-in-support-of-trump-targeted-law-office?traffic_source=rss