The White House’s purge of government employees is likely to result in a wave of legal cases.
Michael Schaffer is a senior editor and columnist at POLITICO Magazine. He has covered national and local politics for over 20 years and spent seven years as editor-in-chief of the Washingtonian. His Capital City column chronicles the inside conversations and big trends shaping Washington politics.
As the Donald Trump administration ramps up the mass-firings of public servants, it’s not a great time to be looking for work in Washington — unless you’re an attorney who defends public servants against mass firings.
In that case, the job market is red-hot: Openings for employment lawyers are up by four to five times compared to the first half of 2024, according to Amy Savage, a legal recruiter and expert on the ebbs and flows of legal hiring in the capital.
“There are a large number of firms known for representing federal employees who are looking for talent right now,” Savage said. “It’s a very busy time.”
It’s an exception that proves the rule in a region reeling from unprecedented federal cutbacks.
D.C.’s chief financial officer has projected a multi-year loss of 40,000 jobs — a fifth of the 200,000 federal positions currently based inside the city limits. The dynamic has already glutted the market with international-aid specialists, environmental-regulation experts and education-grant administrators — the sort of highly-skilled, narrow expertise that abounds...
The offshore world has always attracted strong opinions. It’s complex, global, and full of moving parts that most people don’t fully understand. Mix that with online anonymity and you suddenly hav...