Skadden accused of blocking lawyers from discussing firm's deal with Trump

By Daniel Wiessner

April 24 (Reuters) - Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom was accused on Thursday of limiting its lawyers' access to internal email lists to prevent them from discussing an agreement struck with President Donald Trump to avoid an executive order targeting the firm.

The National Institute for Workers' Rights, a left-leaning advocacy group, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board claiming Skadden has illegally interfered with its employees' rights to discuss working conditions.

Skadden and eight other major law firms have collectively pledged nearly $1 billion in pro bono legal work to causes backed by the Trump administration and agreed to curb diversity initiatives in order to avoid scrutiny from the White House. Other firms have sued Trump, alleging free speech violations, and have won rulings temporarily blocking executive orders targeted at them.

"Associates used firm email to discuss these changes, submit resignations, plan coordinated rejections of recruitment activities, and express concerns about the impact on what they do, with whom they work, and their ethical obligations," the workers' rights group said in the complaint.

Skadden's executive partner, Jeremy London, and a spokeswoman for the firm did not immediately respond to requests for comment. London has said that Skadden engaged proactively with Trump in the interests of clients, employees and the firm.

The complaint was not brought on behalf of any specific Skadden employees. NLRB complaints are typically filed by workers or unions but can be filed by outside groups.

The claims will be investigated by board lawyers, who will then decide whether to issue a formal complaint against Skadden.

A complaint would first be heard by an administrative judge and then the five-member board, which currently lacks a quorum to decide cases after Trump in January fired Democratic Member Gwynne Wilcox, and she lost an early bid to be reinstated.

Law firms' deals with Trump have sparked outrage among many Democrats and lawyers, including some who work at the firms.

More than 80 Skadden alumni, including two people who left the firm after its agreement with Trump, sent a letter to London earlier this month saying the deal undermined core democratic values. Another lawyer who resigned from Skadden days before the agreement, Rachel Cohen, criticized the deals in testimony before an informal hearing of Congressional Democrats.

The case is Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, National Labor Relations Board, No. 02-CA-364351.

For the NIWR: Jason Solomon

For Skadden: Not available

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