Latest news with #Seattle-founded
Reuters
29-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Google beefs up legal team to fight RNC bias lawsuit
April 29 (Reuters) - Google has added a new, conservative lead attorney to its legal team as it fights the Republican National Committee's bid to revive a lawsuit accusing the Alphabet (GOOGL.O), opens new tab unit of discrimination. Dominic Draye of law firm Greenberg Traurig, a former solicitor general of Arizona appointed by the state's Republican leadership, appeared on Monday in a court filing, opens new tab as lead counsel for Google in its clash against the RNC in the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Draye will work with lawyers from law firm Perkins Coie, prominently known for its work for the Democratic National Committee, technology clients and voting rights. Draye, Google and Perkins Coie on Tuesday either declined to comment or had no immediate comment. Seattle-founded Perkins Coie had represented Google, one of the firm's longtime clients, by itself in the lower court. Perkins Coie is among four firms suing the Trump administration to block executive orders targeting them for their prior work for clients the president disfavored. Perkins Coie represented the 2016 presidential campaign of Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Before joining Greenberg Traurig, Draye was appointed in 2017 by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich to serve as the state's solicitor general, the top appeals court lawyer. Draye earlier worked at law firm Kirkland & Ellis and clerked for conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Judge Edith Jones. The RNC claimed in its lawsuit that Google was discriminating against it by routing its emails to spam folders. Google has denied the claims, which a judge dismissed last year in a win for the company. 'The same Gmail algorithm governs emails sent by the Democratic National Committee — and everyone else,' Draye said in a filing on Monday in the appeals court. Perkins Coie's Michael Huston, a former law clerk to Chief Justice John Roberts, is working with Draye. Google also recently said lawyers from Lehotsky Keller Cohn will defend the company against the RNC. The small firm is known for its work for conservative-leaning or Republican clients. The RNC is represented by lawyers from small, conservative-leaning firms Consovoy McCarthy and Dhillon Law Group. Dhillon's founder Harmeet was recently appointed to lead the civil rights division at the Justice Department. The case is Republican National Committee v. Google, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 24-5358. For RNC: Thomas McCarthy of Consovoy McCarthy and Michael Columbo of Dhillon Law Group For Google: Dominic Draye of Greenberg Traurig and Michael Huston of Perkins Coie
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Law firms targeted by Trump ask judges to permanently bar executive orders against them
By Mike Scarcella and David Thomas (Reuters) - Law firms Perkins Coie and WilmerHale will ask federal judges in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to permanently bar President Donald Trump's executive orders against them, calling the measures acts of retaliation that violate U.S. constitutional protections. The court hearings will be the latest flashpoint in a legal battle pitting prominent law firms against the Republican president and his administration. Trump's orders against Perkins Coie and WilmerHale sought to restrict their lawyers' access to federal buildings and to end government contracts held by their clients, citing the firms' connections to his legal and political enemies. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell will hear Perkins Coie's request for summary judgment at 11 a.m. Eastern, followed by a hearing in WilmerHale's case at 2 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Richard Leon. A summary judgment hearing focuses on the merits of a court fight, and comes after earlier legal wrangling on threshold matters. Leon, a Republican appointee, issued a temporary order last month blocking key provisions of the order against WilmerHale, an 1,100-lawyer firm that has a large office in Washington. Howell, a Democrat appointee, also temporarily blocked Trump's order last month against Seattle-founded Perkins Coie, which employs more than 1,200 lawyers. Two other judges weighing lawsuits by other firms have issued similar orders. The Justice Department has defended the executive orders as lawful presidential directives. Nine law firms, including Paul Weiss, Skadden Arps, Latham & Watkins and Kirkland & Ellis, settled with the White House to avoid a similar order being issued against them. The firms and several others have cumulatively pledged nearly $1 billion in free legal services and made other concessions in their deals with Trump. Hundreds of law firms, thousands of lawyers and dozens of attorney bar groups have backed the law firms suing the administration, calling the executive orders an illegal attempt to intimidate firms from representing clients adverse to Trump's interests. Some lawyers at law firms that have cut deals with Trump have resigned in protest.
Reuters
23-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Law firms targeted by Trump ask judges to permanently bar executive orders against them
April 23 (Reuters) - Law firms Perkins Coie and WilmerHale will ask federal judges in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to permanently bar President Donald Trump's executive orders against them, calling the measures acts of retaliation that violate U.S. constitutional protections. The court hearings will be the latest flashpoint in a legal battle pitting prominent law firms against the Republican president and his administration. Trump's orders against Perkins Coie and WilmerHale sought to restrict their lawyers' access to federal buildings and to end government contracts held by their clients, citing the firms' connections to his legal and political enemies. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell will hear Perkins Coie's request for summary judgment at 11 a.m. Eastern, followed by a hearing in WilmerHale's case at 2 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Richard Leon. A summary judgment hearing focuses on the merits of a court fight, and comes after earlier legal wrangling on threshold matters. Leon, a Republican appointee, issued a temporary order last month blocking key provisions of the order against WilmerHale, an 1,100-lawyer firm that has a large office in Washington. Howell, a Democrat appointee, also temporarily blocked Trump's order last month against Seattle-founded Perkins Coie, which employs more than 1,200 lawyers. Two other judges weighing lawsuits by other firms have issued similar orders. The Justice Department has defended the executive orders as lawful presidential directives. Nine law firms, including Paul Weiss, Skadden Arps, Latham & Watkins and Kirkland & Ellis, settled with the White House to avoid a similar order being issued against them. The firms and several others have cumulatively pledged nearly $1 billion in free legal services and made other concessions in their deals with Trump. Hundreds of law firms, thousands of lawyers and dozens of attorney bar groups have backed the law firms suing the administration, calling the executive orders an illegal attempt to intimidate firms from representing clients adverse to Trump's interests. Some lawyers at law firms that have cut deals with Trump have resigned in protest.
Reuters
03-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Law professors, legal groups back Perkins Coie in lawsuit over Trump order
April 3 (Reuters) - More than 300 law professors and other legal groups submitted court briefs backing law firm Perkins Coie in its lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's executive order that punished the firm for its work for Hillary Clinton and its diversity policies. Professors from dozens of U.S. law schools including Harvard, Yale and Stanford argued in their filing, opens new tab late on Wednesday that Trump's March 6 order targeting Perkins Coie is unconstitutional and threatens the integrity of the U.S. judicial system. "Today, Perkins Coie has fallen into the President's disfavor. Tomorrow, it could be any one of us whose speech the President unilaterally deems antithetical to 'the interests of the United States' because that person or organization has chosen to litigate against him," the brief said. The filing was part of a wave of "friend of the court" briefs from outside groups voicing alarm over the president's orders against Perkins Coie and other law firms. In another brief, opens new tab, a coalition of advocacy groups across the ideological spectrum — including the American Civil Liberties Union and Cato Institute — denounced Trump's orders against Perkins Coie and other firms as "assaults on the bar" that threaten the ability of Americans to hire attorneys for important cases. The White House in a statement said it was "absurd that a billion-dollar law firm is suing to retain its access to government perks and handouts." It has defended Trump's executive orders against law firms as "lawful directives to ensure that the President's agenda is implemented and that law firms comply with the law." The Justice Department on Wednesday night asked a U.S. judge in Washington to dismiss Perkins Coie's lawsuit. Trump's orders against Seattle-founded Perkins Coie and two rival firms — Jenner & Block and WilmerHale — sought to cancel federal contracts held by the firms' clients and to restrict access by their lawyers to federal buildings and officials. Perkins Coie, Jenner and WilmerHale's lawsuits challenging executive orders against the firms are pending in Washington. Three U.S. judges have blocked key provisions in the orders targeting the firms. Four other law firms — Paul Weiss, Skadden Arps, Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Milbank have struck deals with the White House to avoid similar sanctions. The professors argued in their brief supporting Perkins Coie that Trump's campaign against the firms "dangles a Sword of Damocles over all those who refuse to place loyalty to the President above the interests of their clients and the law." "If the order stands, it will be open season on lawyers who have dared to take on clients or causes the President or other officials don't like," the brief said. Why target these law firms? For Trump, it's personal
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Law firm targeted by Trump executive order sues administration
By Mike Scarcella (Reuters) -U.S. law firm Perkins Coie has sued President Donald Trump's administration in federal court, claiming Trump illegally retaliated against the firm over its prior work for his former opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, and its internal policies promoting diversity and inclusion. The 1,200-lawyer firm was targeted by Trump, a Republican, in an executive order on March 6. It filed its lawsuit on Tuesday in federal court in Washington, D.C. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The lawsuit asked a U.S. judge to declare Trump's executive order unlawful and to bar its enforcement. "Perkins Coie's ability to represent the interests of its clients — and its ability to operate as a legal-services business at all — are under direct and imminent threat" by the administration's order, the lawsuit said. "Perkins Coie cannot allow its clients to be bullied." A White House spokesperson declined to comment. Trump in his order directed federal agencies to review any contracts between the firm and the government, and to temporarily suspend security clearances that lawyers at the firm use to access and handle some sensitive information. The order also said agencies should consider limiting Perkins Coie lawyers' access to government buildings and officials and ending any contractual work with the firm's clients. The lawsuit by Seattle-founded Perkins Coie marked an escalation of a growing feud between Trump and law firms that he has accused of being aligned against his administration's interests. Trump in February issued a similar but more narrow order against law firm Covington & Burling, which is representing the special counsel who led now-dismissed criminal prosecutions of Trump over his handling of classified information and his alleged effort to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. The White House order stripped security clearances from two lawyers at Covington and said the firm should lose any government contracts. It does not appear the firm has any pending contracts with federal agencies. Covington has defended its work for Jack Smith, the special counsel. Perkins Coie and Covington are among nearly a dozen prominent law firms that are representing clients in lawsuits challenging Trump administration policies and priorities, including its efforts to curtail immigration, agency grants and transgender rights. Trump's order against Perkins Coie criticized the firm over its work for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential run. Perkins Coie has long been criticized by some on the American right over its work with the Washington research firm Fusion GPS. Fusion paid a former British spy's company to assemble a dossier outlining Russian financial and personal links to Trump's 2016 election campaign. Trump has denied the claims in the dossier, and he has more broadly disputed that his campaign then had any ties to Russia. A U.S. judge in Florida in 2022 dismissed a lawsuit that Trump lodged against Clinton, Perkins Coie and others that claimed a conspiracy to rig the election. The judge said Trump's lawsuit was a "political manifesto outlining his grievances against those that have opposed him," and lacked legal merit. An appeal is pending in the case. Perkins Coie has also faced criticism over the work of one of its former partners, Michael Sussmann, who advised the 2016 Clinton presidential campaign. Sussmann was acquitted in 2022 at trial on a charge that he lied to the FBI when he met with the bureau in 2016 to share a tip about a possible link between Trump's business and a Russian bank.
