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Over the past month, some of the biggest and most prestigious law firms have agreed to deals that amount to a combined $940 million in pro bono work and free legal services for causes favored by the Trump administration. On this week’s Amicus podcast, Dahlia Lithwick spoke with Jessie Weber, managing partner at Brown, Goldstein & Levy in Maryland, about what the growing list of Big Law firms in the tank for Trump means for people seeking to vindicate their rights. Their conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Dahlia Lithwick: I think people don’t exactly understand how pro bono work actually works in the whole ecosystem of law firms. How consequential is $100 million or $500 million in pro bono work? Is it possible that if this work aligns with the Trump administration’s values—but it’s still pro bono work and these firms believe it’s good work—does it really matter? Can you just walk us through what this bargain is and how firms think about that bargain?
Jessie Weber: So historically a lot of the big law firms have taken on substantial pro bono work, much of it in cases involving civil rights, or areas like prison litigation where it’s hard to recoup fees. Or family law cases; again, areas of the law where it’s difficult either for civil litigants to afford counsel, or where it’s a fee-shifting statute and the pool of lawyers...
Since emerging as the country’s nominated top health official in January, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spread 12 provably false health claims in government hearings, media appearances, and on social ...