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re: How does DJT end up with such a disparate group of attorneys?

Posted on 1/17/24 at 10:24 pm to
Posted by davyjones
NELA
Member since Feb 2019
30546 posts
Posted on 1/17/24 at 10:24 pm to
Why don’t you send in a resumé.
Posted by roadGator
Member since Feb 2009
141701 posts
Posted on 1/17/24 at 10:25 pm to
Hush, nothing but the best.
Posted by Obtuse1
Westside Bodymore Yo
Member since Sep 2016
26188 posts
Posted on 1/17/24 at 11:59 pm to
quote:

There is a good argument for that but it doesn't explain his inner circle guys like Cohen, etc. which predate it.


I will actually give him a break for Cohen. People in Trump's position can often benefit from a sleazy fixer that has an extensive Rolodex. They offers services an AM100 firm generally don't do.
Posted by Obtuse1
Westside Bodymore Yo
Member since Sep 2016
26188 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 12:11 am to
quote:

she's actually a really good lawyer.


Setting aside the decorum issues how can you call someone a "really good lawyer" who doesn't know the process for impeachment by deposition or the proper basis for a hearsay objection? If her area of practice never involved trial advocacy neither of those might ever rear their head but both are likely in a defamation case. I can't stress how rudimentary these skills are in trial advocacy. For a seasoned trial attorney, both of those skills require as much bandwidth as putting on a pair of pants and getting the zipper in the front.
This post was edited on 1/18/24 at 12:12 am
Posted by Obtuse1
Westside Bodymore Yo
Member since Sep 2016
26188 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 12:51 am to
quote:

Would someone from Perkins Coie provide him a better defense?


If they took the case absolutely. It would likely not pass a partner review vote for new clients and very possibly would be conflicted anyway. That said if attorneys from Perkins Coie performed like Habba in the courtroom I would bet my house they were maliciously sandbagging him or were playing some 4D chess gambit that required them to lose the initial trial.

It is important to note that I pointed out he has some incredible attorneys working for him. Sauer for example is not someone to be dismissed. Rhodes Scholar, Harvard Law Review along with Duke and Notre Dame degrees. Clerked for Scalia and worked for arguably the best litigation boutique in DC. Habba on the other hand has a tier 4 law degree* and nothing of consequence to show on her CV that warrants being hired by one of the most powerful men in the world that is also a billionaire.

How does he have both the likes of Sauer and Habba representing?


* I know some really good litigators with tier 4 degrees but they differ because they could all do a deposition impeachment while in a medically induced comma and if they made a hearsay objection they would innately understand the testimony would have to be for the truth of the matter asserted to be sustained. BTW her objection was not used to break flow so she doesn't have that excuse either.
This post was edited on 1/18/24 at 4:29 am
Posted by epbart
new york city
Member since Mar 2005
2939 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 1:46 am to
I have a lot of familiarity with a number of lawyers & law firms in NYC-- though I'm a relative nobody and am not an attorney myself. Although many attorneys have a level of autonomy to bring in new business as they please and are encouraged to do so, when they're part of law firms-- especially as they become larger and more diversified in their practice areas (antitrust, general litigation, corporate, M&A, real estate, and so on)-- this decision can get more complicated. One such complication revolves around conflicts of interest, which makes sense in an overt way. Obviously, if a firm is handling the plaintiff of a case, it wouldn't make a lot of sense for the defendant to use the same firm. But politics and PR can play a role in such decisions and sometimes the Board/Executive Committees of larger firms will discuss the potential impact of taking on certain clients. A partner I know at one prominent firm told me of one such meeting, in which the Board discussed whether or not they would represent a significant foreign entity, and due to the potentially sensitive nature of it, they declined.

While I can't prove it here, I would suggest that this type of discussion has happened in many executive committees at nearly every AM 100 law firm if Trump has approached them, and every one of these firms would undoubtedly discourage-- if not prohibit-- their attorneys from working for Trump.

One notable instance that comes to mind is Marc Kasowitz, a highly successful NYC litigator who worked with Trump on several matters over several years, including a dispute with Carl Icahn and at least one of Trump's divorces. According to this old NY Times article:
LINK
Kasowitz was as brash as Trump, enjoyed a good fight, and enjoyed the spotlight, which should've made him a natural fit to continue representing Trump. Certainly, he would get publicity.

Then Trump becomes President and becomes persona non grata in NYC circles. Shortly after winning, Kasowitz still represents Trump on a couple of matters, including against the NY Times for defamation. Then that's it. Kasowitz leaves Trump's legal team.

Is it possible that Trump did something to piss him off / drive him off? Sure. But I can also say that I was familiar with Kasowitz' firm since it had only one or two offices with something like 15-20 attorneys in the late 1990's and early 2000's. And by the time Trump won in 2016, Kasowitz had 300 or so attorneys in several cities, and had somewhat recently opened Los Angeles and Silicon Valley offices. At this point, with so many attorneys competing with other firms for clients, the decision to continue representing Trump becomes more complicated and risks alienating other clients.

The idea that this is why Kasowitz left Trump's team is speculative. But it isn't speculation to say:

1) Numerous Google execs were upset when Trump won in 2016. If you google "google upset when trump won in 2016", a number of hits come up, like:
CNN - Leaked Video: Google Execs Upset Over Trump Win

2) Kasowitz had a relatively new Silicon Valley office. If you look at the profiles of the current attorneys in that office (I'll filter the attorneys to that office here):
kasowitz firm site
almost all of them list experience representing Google, as well as Uber and Reddit (and I believe Reddit's Ohanian was not a fan of Trump). While the Silicon Valley office is small, these are potentially huge clients and it isn't hard to imagine that Kasowitz and other senior members had to weigh the odds of losing Google as a client if he kept supporting Trump.

To repeat-- this is not proof and I could be wrong. But I wondered if this was the case when it happened and still do.

One notable exception to this appears to be Jones Day (an old, established, big firm)... undoubtedly in part because Donald McGahn of Jones Day was Donald Trump’s first White House counsel. And the firm has a strong Republican presence. According to this Guardian article:
LINK
Jones Day was willing to work for Trump. Regrettably, Trump turned them down and picked Dowd instead, which I think was a big mistake since Jones Day has a lot of talented lawyers and Dowd didn't last. But note this part of the article:
quote:

Enrich reports that some at Jones Day thought such a deal would tie the firm too closely to Trump as his presidency pitched into controversy and chaos. Brogan was advised to pull back but pushed to land the client.

... which supports my earlier premise that a lot of big firms are going to weigh the political/PR risks of a client like Trump with regards to potentially alienating other clients.

Unless something changes, I think Jones Day was Trump's best last chance at having a high power law firm with resources work with him. And he's going to be stuck with small firms and solo attorneys now who don't have the resources to fight Perkins Coie & the full weight of the DOJ.

edit to add: I was extremely slow to type this out and moving back & forth between a couple of things... so didn't see your comments on pg 2, which I largely agree with and which cover a good bit of what I said, but more succinctly.
This post was edited on 1/18/24 at 2:00 am
Posted by lake chuck fan
westlake
Member since Aug 2011
9551 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 5:34 am to
quote:

are you familiar with 65 project? google it.


First I've heard about this. Surely funded by Soros type donors. There are no lengths the left will not go to keep their ideology alive. Those WEF types want any and all democratic/free thinking individuals and countries eliminated.
Posted by RogerTheShrubber
Juneau, AK
Member since Jan 2009
263366 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 5:37 am to
quote:

Hush, nothing but the best.


He has terrible legal advice.

He listened to those fools about the election bullshite, he will listen to anyone who tells him what he wants to hear.



Posted by themunch
Earth. maybe
Member since Jan 2007
64835 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 5:38 am to
quote:

Cohen had no real legal issues until Trump became POTUS


Not really
Posted by OccamsStubble
Member since Aug 2019
5174 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 6:45 am to
quote:



Lawfare. Can you stand vs the government and not lose your livelihood?

Are you willing to sacrifice your life and family? They will come after you, even for BS charges.

This needs to end.



This has nothing to do with the reality that trump hires an idiot to defend him rather than Jay Seculow.
Posted by FLTech
the A
Member since Sep 2017
13446 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 7:08 am to
i think she is a bad arse - looks or no, she is still a badass
Posted by geauxbrown
Louisiana
Member since Oct 2006
19827 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 7:29 am to
Because they can’t convince him to stop insulting the court
Posted by Pettifogger
Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
Member since Feb 2012
79533 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 9:04 am to
quote:

Why don’t you send in a resumé.



Well a professional friend is under indictment for working for Trump so I think I'll pass
Posted by tigerpawl
Can't get there from here.
Member since Dec 2003
22489 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 9:09 am to
I always thought he had a weak and timid legal team - dating back years.
Posted by Dday63
Member since Sep 2014
2329 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 9:46 am to
It's simple: Bad attorneys and bad clients tend to find each other. I've seen it happen timecand again in my opponents.
Posted by davyjones
NELA
Member since Feb 2019
30546 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 12:09 pm to
quote:

Well a professional friend is under indictment for working for Trump so I think I'll pass

What would you apply for, janitor?
Posted by Pettifogger
Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone
Member since Feb 2012
79533 posts
Posted on 1/18/24 at 12:09 pm to
quote:

What would you apply for, janitor?



*pats head*
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