As U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration accelerates its executive actions, numerous corporate law firms have stepped in to represent plaintiffs in lawsuits targeting his policies. In the past two weeks alone, at least eight of the largest U.S. law firms have joined forces to challenge Trump’s new crackdown on issues such as immigration, transgender rights, and government personnel changes.
The firms, including WilmerHale, Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, and Arnold & Porter, have a history of opposing Trump’s policies. They played similar roles during his first term in office, when they challenged his immigration restrictions targeting certain majority-Muslim countries. These firms are now representing liberal advocacy groups in an array of legal battles concerning the Trump administration’s expansive policies, including those that impact transgender rights, immigration, and federal funding for health research and foreign aid.
In a highly publicized move, Elon Musk, a billionaire ally of Trump, expressed frustration on his social media platform, X, calling attention to the law firms involved in these lawsuits. Musk questioned which law firms were “pushing these anti-democratic cases,” although he did not name specific firms.
One of the firms, WilmerHale, which is currently representing plaintiffs in cases involving the firing of U.S. agency inspectors general by Trump, has also represented Tesla in litigation. However, WilmerHale partner Seth Waxman declined to comment on the firm’s involvement in these new cases due to attorney-client privilege.
Despite Musk’s public discontent, legal experts assert that law firms are ethically allowed to work on pro bono cases that may conflict with their other clients’ interests, especially when it involves defending constitutional rights or challenging governmental actions. Corporate law firms often take on such cases for public policy reasons, providing necessary legal resources for high-stakes litigation.
According to the latest Federal Election Commission data, large law firm political action committees (PACs) have contributed about $3.7 million to Democratic candidates and $4.7 million to Republicans in the 2023-2024 election cycle, reflecting the political balancing act that firms typically maintain. While some firms favor one party over the other, they often support both sides of the political spectrum, depending on their clients’ interests.
As Trump continues to roll out executive orders to reduce illegal immigration, eliminate diversity programs, curb transgender rights, and exert control over federal spending, various advocacy groups and Democratic state attorneys general have filed over 50 lawsuits against his administration. The eight major law firms are currently involved in 11 of these cases, with others, including smaller firms, joining the effort.
One of the cases, led by Arnold & Porter, involves suing the administration over Trump’s attempt to end automatic birthright citizenship. Perkins Coie is representing plaintiffs challenging restrictions on transgender military service, and Jenner & Block is working on cases related to transgender rights and government research funding cuts.
As the legal challenges continue to grow, organizations like Lambda Legal, which advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, anticipate an increasing demand for legal support, signaling that major law firms will continue to be heavily involved in these high-profile cases.
