The Lawyers Who Gave Up Millions to Fight Trump

What happens when elite lawyers abandon six-figure salaries to battle a president's assault on the legal system itself? On this episode of the Tara Palmeri Show, Matthew Wollin, a former WilmerHale attorney whose glass-walled office once starred in Succession, left big law after five years to become a journalist. He joins Tara to unpack how Trump's February 2025 memo targeting Covington & Burling triggered a domino effect across the industry, with prestigious firms preemptively settling on constitutionally shaky ground rather than fight. They explore the paradox of "neutral" arbiters prioritizing profits over principle, the quiet revolt of young associates and law students boycotting capitulating firms, and the rise of rule-of-law startups like Lowell & Associates filling the void. From vague pro-bono deals for Trump's causes to chilling effects on anti-Trump representation, this conversation reveals institutional fragility echoing across media, tech, and academia. Which profession will be the next to fold under political pressure, and how would you respond if your workplace demanded the same compromise? Tara's latest piece on the government shutdown: https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/behind-closed-doors-why-democrats For more of her reporting, subscribe to her weekly newsletter, "The Red Letter." https://tarapalmeri.substack.com/ https://www.tarapalmeri.com/subscribe To support her mission of independent journalism, consider donating to her GoFundMe account: https://gofund.me/0c46f9a5 Tara Palmeri is one of the most feared and fearless reporters covering power and politics. She has 15 years of experience covering national politics and foreign affairs. She was formerly a White House Correspondent for ABC News where she covered the first Trump administration. She was the chief National Correspondent for POLITICO during the Biden administration. She has been a political analyst for CNBC, CBS and CNN. She started her career as a columnist for the Washington Examiner and then went on to report for the New York Post. She was a foreign correspondent for POLITICO Europe, where she covered international affairs, including Brexit. She hosted the Ringer's political podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win" and wrote a column for Puck. Tara also hosted two acclaimed podcasts on Jeffrey Epstein, "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Power: The Maxwells." Tara currently hosts the Tara Palmeri Show. Follow Tara: https://www.instagram.com/tarapalmeri/ https://x.com/tarapalmeri https://www.tiktok.com/@tarapalmeri For inquiries, email: [email protected] #LawyersAgainstTrump #BigLawBetrayal #RuleOfLaw #MatthewWollin #TrumpLegalWars #InstitutionalCollapse #LawFirmRebellion #PoliticalPressure #TaraPalmeriShow #TaraPalmeri The Lawyers Who Gave Up Millions to Fight Trump Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to the Tara Palmeri Show 01:33 Matthew Wollin joins the Tara Palmeri Show 03:18 Why Matthew left WilmerHale for journalism 04:52 Trump’s February 2025 memo targets Covington 05:55 WilmerHale’s progressive reputation under threat 07:11 The paradox of neutral big-law firms 09:02 Why firms settled on constitutionally weak ground 11:20 Litigation as negotiation tactic with Trump 13:07 Prioritizing profits over legal principle 14:11 Vague pro-bono deals for Trump’s causes 16:10 Is this a betrayal of legal ethics 17:20 Chilling effect on anti-Trump representation 18:44 Law students boycott capitulating firms 20:10 Starting salary vs $130K debt reality 22:29 Doug Emhoff stays at settled firm Willkie Farr 24:28 Why partners rarely walk away 26:02 Lawyers take an oath to uphold the law 28:21 New rule-of-law startups emerge 30:22 Will these firms outlast Trump 33:25 Lawyers should explain law to the public 36:15 Thanks for watching the Tara Palmeri Show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices