Category: Metro

Another Skadden lawyer goes viral

Another Skadden lawyer has gone viral — this time on LinkedIn — after resigning from the firm following its $100 million settlement to avoid a potential executive order.

In the post titled “Skadden Resignation” Brenna Trout Frey, a former Skadden associate in their Washington DC office, referenced an internal email about a deal struck with Trump. Frey puts the essence of that email as Skadden “capitulating” to Trump’s “demands for fealty and protection money”. As a result, she has left the firm, declaring resignation the “only… acceptable response” — and now her LinkedIn post has garnered nearly 15,000 interactions and almost 700 comments.

This resignation follows reports that Trump has secured a deal worth “at least” $100 million in pro bono legal services from Skadden. In an internal email that prompted Frey’s resignation, the firm’s executive partner, Jeremy London, said, “not everyone will agree with the decision we made today, and I have great respect for the differing views that make us stronger as a firm.”

“But I firmly believe that an agreement centered around our pro bono work and complying with the law was an acceptable outcome to ensure Skadden will continue to thrive long into the future,” he continued. “This agreement does not change who we are.”

Frey, however, dubbed the email “craven”, and said that “if my employer cannot stand up for the rule of law, then I cannot ethically continue to work for them”.

Frey has called upon lawyers facing the same ethical dilemma, saying: “I hope you do some soul-searching over the weekend and join me in sending a message that this is unacceptable (in whatever way you can [such as by resigning]). As one of my more eloquent former colleagues put it: ‘Do not pretend that what is happening is normal or excusable. It isn’t.’”

The post has gained huge interest. Many have congratulated her move, describing it as “brave” and “courageous”. One lawyer commented that she had been wondering how long before Skadden staff would “vote with their feet”, whilst a DLA Piper partner thanked Frey for “speaking the truth”. Another lawyer commented that the “lack of courage from many powerful lawyers is dispiriting” whilst a former Skadden employee describes himself as “embarrassed” for the firm.

Meanwhile, another Skadden associate, Rachel Cohen, also resigned for similar reasons after helping to coordinate an open letter urging US law firm leaders to speak out against Trump. Since then, she has shared a “toolkit” to support associates protesting the situation, encouraging them to disengage from their firms’ graduate recruitment initiatives until leadership takes a stand against Trump’s attack on the rule of law.

This news comes as Trump continues to use executive orders to impose sanctions on 20 BigLaw firms – some have already struck deals, such as Paul Weiss’ worth $40 million, whilst others, such as WilmerHale and Jenner & Block have successfully challenged Trump in the courts.

Rachel Cohen’s message comes as her own firm strikes $100 million deal with US President

Departing Skadden associate Rachel Cohen has called on fellow BigLaw lawyers to withdraw from their firms’ graduate recruitment efforts, in protest against what she describes as Donald Trump’s “escalating attacks” on the rule of law.

Cohen — currently serving her notice at Skadden after helping coordinate an open letter urging US law firm leaders to speak out against Trump — has published a detailed online “toolkit” encouraging junior lawyers at targeted firms to boycott student recruitment and interviewing unless their firms publicly oppose recent Executive Orders and federal demands.

The kit, shared under the banner “Trump v. Everybody”, call for big law associates to “withhold participation in all recruiting and interviewing until your firm stands for the rule of law”. The materials outline what Cohen describes as “intimidation tactics” aimed at silencing dissent within the legal profession, and accuse firms of capitulating rather than resisting.

Her post follows reports that Skadden has reached a pre-emptive $100 million pro bono agreement with the White House to avoid being targeted by a forthcoming Executive Order.

The toolkit identifies 20 firms that have received letters from the EEOC requesting highly sensitive data on applicants and employees, including names, races, phone numbers, GPAs, and whether they were hired.

“These intimidation tactics send a clear message: any dissent against Trump invites punitive measure”, according to Cohen, highlighting a 22 March 2025 memo from the White House directing the DOJ to seek sanctions against lawyers engaged in so-called “vexatious litigation” against the government.

The soon-to-be ex-Skadden lawyer has framed the campaign not only as a legal resistance movement, but as a moral imperative for young lawyers. “If your employers cannot protect their employees and the rule of law, do not encourage students to work there,” she says.

The final sections of the toolkit encourage associates at targeted firms to withdraw from all hiring activities until leadership publicly rejects the EEOC demands. Cohen urges lawyers to demand clarity from partners and management about whether their firms intend to comply, and how they plan to protect their employees. She also calls for solidarity and internal organising, writing that “we have collective power — they just don’t want you to realise.”

From contracts to coffee beans

Global law firm Hogan Lovells has traded corporate deals for coffee beans with the launch of Nova, a new café and bakery at its London HQ that’s now open to the public.

Tucked away on the ground floor of Atlantic House on Farringdon Street, Nova isn’t your average office café. It’s the product of a collaboration between the firm and a trio of partners: BM Caterers, social enterprise Luminary Bakery and Fairtrade-certified Perkee Coffee.

“It aligns with our belief in social enterprise as a means of scaling change in communities,” said Yasmin Waljee OBE, Hogan Lovells’ international pro bono partner. “We are pleased to support Luminary Bakery in its life-changing training programmes that help women achieve their entrepreneurial ambition and financial independence.”

Luminary Bakery, one of the café’s key partners, is known for helping women rebuild their lives after experiencing gender-based violence, poverty or other challenges. Its training and employment programmes are designed to build baking skills, and confidence. Perkee Coffee, meanwhile, sources its beans from a women-led cooperative in Nicaragua, ensuring a socially conscious caffeine fix.

David Crew, the firm’s global operations director, described Nova as “a fantastic example of collaboration in action”, pointing to the way the firm had turned a vacant shopfront into something with purpose.

Nova officially opened its doors on 12 March at 49 Farringdon Street, and will be serving up croissants with a conscience to both the public and Hogan Lovells’ employees alike.