With pro bono work under public and presidential scrutiny, Big Law firms are looking to avoid becoming the face of certain kinds of pro bono work, with some going as far as backing out of politically sensitive pro bono commitments or seeking to withdraw their public-facing appearances in pro bono matters.
According to some leaders at charitable and community organizations that have partnered with Am Law 200 firms, leaders and other personnel in some law firms’ pro bono practices initially responded to President Donald Trump’s executive orders with a “pause” as they tried to make sense of the current environment, according to one director at a civil rights organization, who described the initial reaction as “shock.”