President Donald Trump said Friday that the large law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom has agreed to provide at least $100 million in pro bono legal services to the federal government during the Trump administration.
The agreement, which Trump called “essentially a settlement,” calls for other actions and allows Skadden, Arps to avoid becoming the sixth elite law firm to be targeted by an executive order from Trump imposing various punishments.
The deal came five days after the billionaire Elon Musk — one of Trump’s top advisors — tweeted “Skadden, this needs to stop now” in response to a social media post by conservative gadfly Dinesh D’Souza complaining that the firm’s lawyers were litigating against him over a film he produced.
Trump last week rescinded his executive order targeting the law firm Paul, Weiss after that firm agreed to perform $40 million worth of pro bono — free — legal work for causes that the president supports.
FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen outside of the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 30, 2020.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Earlier Friday, two targeted law firms, WilmerHale and Jenner & Block, filed federal lawsuits against the Trump administration over the executive orders targeting them.
A third targeted firm, Perkins Coie, sued the administration earlier this month.
CNBC has requested comment from Skadden, Arps.
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