**Major Corporations Reassess Relationships with Law Firms that Yielded to Trump Administration Pressure**

In the fallout of the Trump administration's pressure campaign on leading law firms, several top corporations are now distancing themselves from those that capitulated. According to The Wall Street Journal, at least 11 major companies have started redirecting their legal work away from firms that entered agreements with the Trump administration, in preference for those that resisted.

Senior legal executives expressed doubts about the reliability of these firms, questioning their ability to represent corporate interests strongly if they couldn’t stand firm against the former administration's pressures. Among the prominent companies reevaluating their legal partnerships are Oracle, Morgan Stanley, Microsoft, and McDonald's. Some have already started scaling back their work, while others have voiced concerns or severed ties completely.

For instance, a law firm that had negotiated with the Trump administration reportedly ceased representing McDonald's in a significant lawsuit just months before it was set to go to trial. Microsoft, in another example, formally communicated its concerns to one of its primary law firms. Executive sentiments mirror these actions; a senior official at one company disclosed their intent to shift business away from the firm Paul, Weiss, following the loss of four partners after the company struck a deal with the Trump administration.

The repercussions for law firms yielded in exchange for lucrative deals weren't just limited to losses of business. Trump's administration retaliated against firms that opposed it through executive orders that included access restrictions, the cancellation of government contracts, and revocation of security clearances. Those firms that did enter agreements, including Kirkland & Ellis, Skadden, Simpson Thacher, A&O Shearman, and Latham & Watkins, collectively pledged close to $1 billion worth of pro bono work for government-aligned projects.

Notably, Willkie Farr & Gallagher, where Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris' husband, is employed, also made such a deal. Emhoff reportedly advised the firm to resist the overtures from the Trump administration, albeit unsuccessfully.

However, firms that took legal action against the executive orders have seen success, with numerous federal judges ruling the orders as overreaches of executive power. These judicial victories highlight the precarious balance law firms must navigate between their business interests and political pressures.