In a co-authored op-ed for U.S. News & World Report, Fordham Law Dean Emeritus Matthew Diller discusses the damage that law firm agreements wreak on pro bono programs and the harm to vulnerable clients served by these programs.
The firms that have given in to the Trump administration’s demands argue that pledging a staggering $940 million worth of pro bono legal services collectively to the administration carries no significant costs. As Scott Edelman, chair of the firm Milbank, told employees, the firm had “concluded that an agreement would not entail any significant changes to our current practices, and the new commitments are things that we are happy to do anyway.” He added that “we believe we have gone a long way to putting these issues behind us.”
That’s wishful thinking. These agreements are likely to have profound consequences for years to come – both for the firms and, more crucially, for the indigent clients with urgent needs who depend on free legal aid. While these wealthy and powerful law firms may be spared punishment by the White House for now, their pro bono programs and the needy clients they typically serve will pay the price.
Read “The Real Losers in Trump’s Law Firm Deal Aren’t Who You Think” in U.S. News & World Report.