Big Law firm says its Trump deal is nothing more than a 364-word Truth Social post
A&O Shearman says its deal with Trump includes nothing beyond the president's brief Truth Social post.
Trump's posts don't explain how his deals with Big Law firms are supposed to be enforced.
For A&O Shearman, at least, the terms remain vague.
For one of the Big Law firms that made a deal with President Donald Trump, it's the Truth Social, the whole Truth Social, and nothing but the Truth Social.
In a letter to Congress, A&O Shearman said Trump's 364-word Truth Social post constituted "the complete terms" of the deal. A&O Shearman and three other firms pledged $125 million each in free legal work toward Trump's political priorities, according to the post.
"The complete terms of the Agreement are as set forth in the four numbered paragraphs of the President's April 11, 2025 social media post," William E. White and William J.F. Roll III, the firm's co-general counsels, wrote in the May 8 letter.
Prior to A&O Shearman's letter to Congress, it was unclear whether any law firm had a written agreement spelling out the terms of the deals. A Justice Department lawyer, in litigation related to Trump's executive orders targeting law firms that didn't strike deals with Trump, has said in court that he didn't know whether any such agreements existed.
Several unresolved questions remain about the deals between the law firms and the White House, each of which Trump announced on his social media platform.
Do they have any enforcement mechanisms? How much time do the law firms have to fulfill their pledges? Who would decide whether a particular case counted toward the pro bono hours? Which "outside counsel" would the firms be required to retain to advise on employment practices, as the agreements require? And do the deals actually constrain Trump from issuing an executive order targeting the firms?
In the letter to Congress, A&O Shearman said that an underlying agreement spelling out these details does not exist. It said it also resolved separate inquiries from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, whose Trump-appointed acting chairman had asked 20 Big Law firms about their diversity initiatives.
"Our Firm has no other agreements other than the EEOC settlement agreement," A&O Shearman's letter said. "Neither the Agreement nor the EEOC settlement agreement (which focuses only on employment law related matters) contains any limitations whatsoever on the Firm's ability to represent any existing or future client in any matter."
Victor Chen, a spokesperson for the EEOC, declined to provide Business Insider with copies of the agency's agreements with the law firms.
The nine law firms that made deals with Trump agreed to provide pro bono work for the administration, among other concessions.
A&O Shearman's letter came alongside correspondence from the other eight firms in response to questions from lawmakers about whether those deals are legal and ethical.
A&O Shearman jointly struck a deal with three other law firms — Kirkland & Ellis, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and Latham & Watkins — to commit a total of $500 million in pro bono services, according to Trump's post.
Trump's Truth Social post said the law firms were expected to devote pro bono work toward combating antisemitism; "ensuring fairness in our Justice System"; and helping law enforcement, veterans, relatives of military members who have died in combat, and first responders.
"Our lawyers already do pro bono work in each of these areas — indeed, much of our lawyers' current and historical pro bono work centers on fairness in the justice system, and we have long represented veterans and victims of religious discrimination," A&O Shearman wrote in its letter.
The firm added that "no lawyer is required or expected to work on a pro bono matter they do not believe in."
Rep. David Min, a Democratic lawmaker who asked the Big Law firms about their deals with Trump, told Business Insider that such an agreement wouldn't be enforceable anyway.
Because Trump seems to have a different impression of what the deals provide, "these firms are all basically claiming that there was no meeting of the minds," meaning they can't be enforced, said Min, a former law professor who has lectured on the limits of settlements.
Spokespeople for each of the nine firms that made deals with Trump, which collectively pledged nearly $1 billion worth of free work, didn't respond to requests for comment.
In a statement, a White House spokesperson said the deals "could usher in a new era of merit and fairness in our justice system." The spokesperson did not respond to questions about the terms of the deals.
The May 8 letter from A&O Shearman came the same day a lawyer for the Justice Department said he wasn't aware of any written agreements between Trump and Big Law firms.
"I know of nothing beyond the generally publicly available information," Richard Lawson told US District Judge Loren AliKhan in a hearing for a lawsuit the firm Susman Godfrey brought against the Trump administration.
Susman Godfrey is among the four law firms that have not made a deal with Trump and were targeted by his executive orders that would strip employees of security clearances and ban them from federally owned buildings.
Each of the four firms sued the administration and won court orders blocking the implementation of Trump's orders.
Read the original article on Business Insider
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
16 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
The Latest: Trump muses about regime change in Iran after U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities
Israel's military said Monday it was striking around Iran's western city of Kermanshah, as fears of a wider regional conflict loomed large after the United States inserted itself into Israel's war by attacking Iranian nuclear sites. The operation raised urgent questions about what remained of Tehran's nuclear program and how its weakened military might respond. The price of oil rose as financial markets reacted. Iran lashed out at the U.S. for crossing 'a very big red line' with its risky gambit to strike the three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs . President Donald Trump, who has warned of additional strikes if Tehran retaliates against U.S. forces, has mused about the possibility of 'regime change ″ in Iran, despite administration officials earlier indicating they wanted to restart talks with Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an interview with CBS, said: 'Let's meet directly.' Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said any country used by the U.S. to strike Iran 'will be a legitimate target for our armed forces,' the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Tens of thousands of American troops are based in the Middle East. Here is the latest: North Korea condemns U.S. strikes on Iran North Korea says it 'strongly condemns' the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling it an egregious violation of Iran's territorial integrity and security interests. North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday that the United States and Israel were escalating tensions in the Middle East through the use of military force, and called on the 'just-minded international community' to raise a unified voice against their 'confrontational behavior.' During his first term, U.S. President Donald Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un three times in 2018 and 2019, but their diplomacy collapsed over disagreements in exchanging the release of U.S.-led sanctions against North Korea and the North's steps to wind down its nuclear and missile program. Kim has since accelerated his arms development while ignoring talk offers by Washington and Seoul. He has shifted the priority of his foreign policy to Russia, sending thousands of troops and huge shipments of military equipment to fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine. Trump claims 'monumental damage' inflicted on Iranian nuclear sites President Donald Trump asserted on his Truth Social platform that Iran's nuclear sites sustained 'monumental damage' in the American attack, though a U.S. assessment on the strikes is still underway. 'The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!' he wrote. U.S. defense officials have said they are working to determine about just how much damage the strikes did. Iran as well has not said how much damage was done in the attack, though Tehran has not offered any details so far on the strikes it has faced from Israel in its war with that country. Iran likely filled in tunnels at nuclear sites ahead of U.S. strikes An analysis of satellite photos by a nuclear nonproliferation group based in Washington shows Iran likely filled in tunnels at its nuclear site at Isfahan ahead of U.S. strikes early Sunday. The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security published satellite images taken by Airbus it assessed showed trucks dumping soil into tunnels at the site on Friday. The U.S. attack likely targeted the tunnel entries, the group said. 'At least three of the four tunnel entrances are collapsed,' it said. 'The status of the fourth one is unclear.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pakistan condemns Trump for bombing Iran a day after recommending him for a Nobel Peace Prize
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan condemned U.S. President Donald Trump for bombing Iran, less than 24 hours after saying he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for defusing a recent crisis with India. Relations between the two South Asian countries plummeted after a massacre of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April. The nuclear-armed rivals stepped closer to war in the weeks that followed, attacking each other until intense diplomatic efforts, led by the U.S., resulted in a truce for which Trump took credit. It was this 'decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership' that Pakistan praised in an effusive message Saturday night on the X platform when it announced its formal recommendation for him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Less than 24 hours later, however, it condemned the U.S. for attacking Iran, saying the strikes 'constituted a serious violation of international law' and the statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a phone call Sunday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, expressed his concern that the bombings had targeted facilities that were under the safeguards of the IAEA. Pakistan has close ties with Iran and supports its attacks on Israel, saying it has the right to self-defense. There was no immediate comment on Monday from Islamabad about the Trump Nobel recommendation, which also followed a high-profile White House lunch meeting between the president and Pakistan's powerful army chief, Asim Munir. Thursday's meeting, which lasted more than two hours, was also attended by the Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Representative for Middle Eastern Affairs. According to a Pakistani military statement, a detailed exchange of views took place on the 'prevailing tensions between Iran and Israel, with both leaders emphasizing the importance of the resolution of the conflict.' While Pakistan was quick to thank Trump for his intervention in its crisis with India, New Delhi played it down and said there was no need for external mediation on the Kashmir issue. The Himalayan region of Kashmir is divided between Pakistan and India but claimed by both in its entirety. India accuses Pakistan of backing militant groups in the region, which Pakistan denies.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Emerging Assets Drop as US Strike on Iran Fans Worries About Oil
(Bloomberg) -- Asian currencies and stocks fell at the start of the week, as US strikes on Iran rattled investors and pushed up the price of oil. Bezos Wedding Draws Protests, Soul-Searching Over Tourism in Venice One Architect's Quest to Save Mumbai's Heritage From Disappearing NYC Congestion Toll Cuts Manhattan Gridlock by 25%, RPA Reports South Korea's won led the drop among currencies, contributing to the 0.3% fall in the Bloomberg Asia Dollar Index. Indonesia's rupiah also declined, and the country's central bank confirmed it had intervened both on- and offshore to arrest the slide. On the equities front, MSCI's EM equities gauge dropped 1%. President Donald Trump's decision to attack three Iranian nuclear sites opens a new front in the conflict between Israel and Iran, which has stoked concerns fears that energy supplies from the Middle East will be disrupted. That's a particular concern for economies in Asia, many of whom import the lion's share of their fuel supply. 'Our analysis shows that the Philippine peso, Korean won and Thai baht are more vulnerable in Asia' to oil-price spikes, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. analysts led by Michael Wan wrote in a note. 'Further increases in oil prices could start to impact the policy space of the Philippines and Vietnam, and to a smaller extent India,' delaying central bank interest rate cuts. The moves also risk upending the rally in local currency bond markets, which registered strong inflows as global funds shied away from US assets and the dollar weakened. The Strait of Hormuz is a choke-point for Mideast oil, and investors are watching for any signs it gets blocked. Tehran has warned of retaliation. Reflecting the potential fallout, the 30-day correlation between Brent oil futures and the Asia Dollar Spot Index is now at its most negative since March 2022, with a reading of -0.45, according to Bloomberg calculations. Wells Fargo & Co. sees the Indian rupee, as well as the won, baht and peso, as potentially the worst hit. Long positioning potentially is most extended for the won, followed by the baht, which could contribute to a relatively poor performance in the short term, said Chidu Narayanan, head of macro strategy for APAC at the firm. On the equities front, Taiwan's exchange posted some of the biggest declines. Chip stocks sold off on fears the US may revoke waivers allowing firms to ship American technology to China. Investors were 'running full tilt in the direction of EM' at the time Trump announced the US strikes, Robin Brooks, a senior fellow in the global economy and development program at the Brookings Institution, wrote in a note. 'This heightens the risk of a violent reversal in these flows, which could cause EM currencies to weaken sharply.' --With assistance from Jaehyun Eom, Swati Pandey and Bhaskar Dutta. Luxury Counterfeiters Keep Outsmarting the Makers of $10,000 Handbags Is Mark Cuban the Loudmouth Billionaire that Democrats Need for 2028? Ken Griffin on Trump, Harvard and Why Novice Investors Won't Beat the Pros The US Has More Copper Than China But No Way to Refine All of It Can 'MAMUWT' Be to Musk What 'TACO' Is to Trump? ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
