When law firm Porter Wright told a federal judge in Pennsylvania late Thursday that it would no longer represent the Trump campaign in its challenge of the state’s election results, it
The Trump campaign had no such reluctance.
“Leftist mobs descended upon some of the lawyers representing the president’s campaign and they buckled,” Communications Director Tim Murtaugh said of the firm,
While it was not immediately clear whether Porter Wright had withdrawn from all of the Trump campaign suits, its decision puts the spotlight on
Scrutiny of the two firms intensified on Tuesday when the Lincoln Project, a group of Republicans who oppose President
Not content with a campaign against Jones Day, the nation’s 10th-largest law firm, the Lincoln Project also went after its big corporate clients, demanding that they pull their business from it. The century-old firm’s long client list includes some of the biggest names in American business, among them
Warning to Business
It’s another example of how, amid movements like
Jones Day didn’t respond to requests for comment on Friday. Its corporate clients have either declined to comment or not responded to inquiries about their use of the firm, which put out a
That is true, but the Trump campaign has filed to intervene in a case in which Jones Day is representing the Pennsylvania Republican Party in its challenge of mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day. That case went to the Supreme Court before the election and the court voted 4-4, leaving the rules in place. The case could be heard again with a court that now has nine justices.
Lawyers in the Washington office
Not mentioned in the Lincoln Project effort is the fact that more than 80% of campaign contributions from Jones Day employees went to Democrats in the 2020 election, or that one of the firm’s attorneys is on the transition team for President-elect
Jones Day is officially based in Cleveland but has become a legal power player in the nation’s capital. The 127-year-old firm’s lawyers regularly argue cases before the Supreme Court, including a recent challenge to the Affordable Care Act. The firm aggressively recruits lawyers with high-court experience, hiring 55 former Supreme Court clerks in the last 10 years, along with a slew of seasoned appellate attorneys.
Hard-Nosed Leader
Jones Day had more than $2 billion in gross revenue last year, according to The American Lawyer. Its annual profit per partner was $1.12 million -- only 74th in the country, because it has a larger share of lawyers who are equity partners than many other large firms do.
The firm is helmed by Managing Partner
Brogan didn’t respond to an email or voicemail seeking comment on the pressure campaign.
Brogan, who was named managing partner in 2002 and has passed the firm’s historical mandatory retirement age of 65 for its leader, rarely speaks to the news media and doesn’t do a lot of public appearances. Jones Day is known in the industry for guarding its inner workings, including how it recruits and pays its attorneys.
Moral Qualms
As of Oct. 19, Jones Day had received $2.9 million in legal fees from the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee combined, according to Federal Election Commission records.
One Jones Day lawyer, who asked not to be identified for professional reasons, expressed moral qualms over the firm’s work on behalf of Trump. Several senior lawyers also have reservations, the New York Times reported earlier this week.
The firm’s ties to the Trump administration are extensive, starting with former White House counsel
Some former Jones Day lawyers remain in the Trump administration, including
Prominent veterans of Democratic administrations work for the firm as well.
The firm has represented one company --
‘Apolitical Firm’
Political donations by Jones Day employees have been split among Democrats and Republicans over the years, but in the recent election they skewed strongly Democratic. Employees donated just over $10,000 to Trump’s 2020 campaign and almost $300,000 to Biden’s, according to data from Open Secrets.
In all, Democratic candidates and committees received 82% of the $1.19 million Jones Day employees contributed during the 2020 election cycle.
Former Jones Day partner Roger King said the firm “has always been apolitical” and called the Lincoln Project’s campaign “very misguided.”
“Their efforts to try and attack law firms and lawyers from representing Trump or any unpopular client goes against the central idea that lawyers represent clients to the best of their ability, no matter how popular or unpopular the client may be,” said King, who retired in 2014 after 24 years at the firm.
(Updates with Jones Day conference calls in 10th paragraph.)
--With assistance from
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Peter Jeffrey, David Papadopoulos
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