Trump executive order seeks law firms to defend police officers for free

By Mike Scarcella and Sara Merken

April 29 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump has directed the U.S. Justice Department to mobilize law firms to defend police officers unjustly accused of misconduct free of charge, marking the latest effort to steer the work of private lawyers to his administration's ends.

In an executive order issued on Monday, Trump said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi "shall take all appropriate action" to support law enforcement officers facing unjust liability for performing their duties.

"This mechanism shall include the use of private-sector pro bono assistance for such law enforcement officers," the order said.

The directive, which did not say which lawyers or firms would take on such cases, marked an expansion of Trump's focus on deploying private lawyers to advance his agenda for free.

Nine major law firms have reached deals with Trump in recent weeks to devote a total of $940 million in pro bono legal work to causes the administration favors, such as supporting veterans or combating antisemitism.

The agreements came after Trump issued orders penalizing prominent firms he accused of "weaponizing" the legal system against him and his allies.

The president has since made repeated comments about "using" the firms that settled with him for certain pro bono tasks, including working on trade deals.

"We have a lot of law firms that have paid me a lot of money in the form of legal fees. We're going to probably use those firms ... if we can — I think we can," Trump said during a meeting of his cabinet at the White House on April 10.

The nine firms, including Paul Weiss, Skadden Arps, Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday about Trump's latest order or whether they have been asked to handle specific pro bono matters.

The White House had no immediate comment, and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for one.

The firms have defended their deals with the administration in public statements and internal communications, arguing that the executive orders posed existential threats to their business and that the concessions the firms made did not compromise their principles.

Last month, Paul Weiss Chairman Brad Karp said in a letter to its lawyers and staff that the Trump administration would not be "dictating" what free legal work the firm would provide.

Trump's executive order on Monday seeks to boost local law enforcement with better training, higher pay and benefits, and more legal protections. It condemned efforts to "demonize law enforcement and impose legal and political handcuffs."

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers executive director Lisa Wayne broadly criticized the order in a statement on Tuesday. She said it "raises a serious concern about the potential for this administration to exert pressure, implicit or explicit, on law firms to provide pro bono representation in defense of police misconduct."

Separately on Tuesday, 20 Democratic state attorneys general in an open letter expressed their support for law firms that have sued the administration over Trump's executive orders against them, and denounced those that settled.

The attorneys general said the exact terms of Trump's law firm deals were never disclosed and warned that the president might change them to suit his agenda.

"The President himself has indicated on multiple occasions that these firms will now provide free legal services on his Administration’s behalf for causes or clients he or his associates select — assertions that these law firms have not publicly disputed," the letter said.

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