Well, look who just discovered that maybe, just maybe, poking the bear isn’t always the best idea. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Garrison & Wharton—one of those big-name international law firms that sounds like a list of overpriced wine labels—just did a pretty dramatic about-face after finding itself in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump’s latest executive order. And what caused all this? The firm had a little too much fun with partisan lawfare before realizing that the guy they tried to take down is, in fact, the guy currently holding the pen that signs executive orders.
So here’s the backstory: Trump, never one to shy away from fighting back, issued an executive order that threatened to suspend security clearances and terminate federal contracts for Paul, Weiss. Why? Because one of their former lawyers, Mark Pomerantz, helped oversee the Manhattan DA’s politically motivated investigation into Trump’s finances. You remember that circus—endless fishing expeditions, taxpayer-funded witch hunts, and all the media fanfare that came with it. But now that Trump’s back in the Oval Office, the tables have turned, and suddenly, these law firms are feeling the heat.
Rather than double down and play the martyr, Paul, Weiss blinked. Fast. After a meeting between Trump and the firm’s chairman Brad Karp, the firm suddenly saw the light. They pledged to review their hiring practices, strip DEI from the equation (cue the gasps from the faculty lounges), and provide a whopping $40 million in pro bono legal services—yes, forty million dollars—to support Trump administration initiatives like veteran assistance and fighting anti-Semitism. Quite a pivot for a firm that once reveled in its progressive bona fides.
Let’s call it what it is: a corporate capitulation. But it’s also a sign of the times. For years, major law firms and corporations hid behind woke HR policies and partisan litigation while shrugging off the political consequences. They pushed DEI quotas, funded the legal efforts of prosecutors with an axe to grind, and assumed they were immune because they were on the “right” side of the political and cultural fight. But now that there’s a president willing to push back—and not just with angry tweets, but with policy, legal action, and executive orders—they’re suddenly rediscovering the joys of neutrality.
This is incredible. Not only did President Trump just manage to compel an elite law firm to admit wrongdoing by its former partner, Mark Pomerantz—the architect of NY’s lawfare against him—but he also secured $40 million in free legal work for causes of his choosing. pic.twitter.com/ggC2UBc4MH
— Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) March 21, 2025
This isn’t an isolated case either. Meta and ABC have already ponied up settlements to Trump’s future presidential library to make lawsuits disappear. Other firms are now quietly rolling back DEI programs, not because they’ve had a change of heart, but because the political winds have shifted—and there’s finally a price to be paid for virtue-signaling at the expense of half the country.
Let’s be honest, Trump isn’t playing by the old GOP rules anymore. He’s not here to play nice with firms that tried to tank him legally, only to turn around and beg for federal contracts and access to government business. He’s doing what previous Republican presidents should have done—making them choose. You want to sue the president for political gain? Fine. But don’t expect a pat on the back and a pile of taxpayer money on the other end.
The reaction from the legal establishment and their media allies will be predictable: “authoritarian!” “abuse of power!” “threat to democracy!” But those same voices were radio silent when these firms were using the legal system as a weapon against political opponents. Accountability isn’t authoritarian—it’s long overdue.
So now, Paul, Weiss gets to keep its contracts, and all it cost them was a massive pile of free legal work and a public retreat from woke hiring policies. Seems like a fair trade. Or, to put it more bluntly, welcome to the new reality: if you’re going to get political, don’t cry foul when politics comes knocking at your door.
Who does @MarkHalperin think is the loser of the week in politics? It’s Paul Weiss, the white show law firm that bent the knee to Donald Trump after he sanctioned it for what he cited as unethical behavior. “They are huge losers,” says Mark. “They think they’ve saved the firm.… pic.twitter.com/C4Db7A48Vg
— 2WAY (@2waytvapp) March 23, 2025
