New York bill targets free legal work pledged to Trump

By Sara Merken

May 16 (Reuters) - Democratic New York state lawmakers have introduced legislation that would bar law firms in the state from requiring employees to do free legal work performed as part of an agreement the firm made with the Trump administration.

The proposed bill would also prohibit such work from counting toward New York's pro bono requirements for lawyers to practice law in the state.

New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Micah Lasher in a Friday statement said the measure is "in response to President Trump's coercive and unlawful extortion of private law firms," leading to agreements between some firms and the White House.

Nine major firms have reached deals with President Donald Trump to devote a total of $940 million in pro bono legal work to causes the administration favors, such as supporting veterans or combating antisemitism. Many of them have defended the deals as necessary to protect their business from executive orders or from a probe of their hiring practices.

The agreements came after Trump issued orders penalizing prominent firms he accused of "weaponizing" the legal system against him and his allies. Four law firms are suing the administration over the orders against them.

New lawyers applying for admission to the New York bar are required to complete at least 50 hours of pro bono work, and lawyers must report their pro bono hours when they file to renew their membership to the state bar, the lawmakers said.

The new legislation, if passed, would exempt any pro bono hours stemming from an agreement between a firm and the federal government "under which the federal government specifies the recipient or recipients or type or types or nature of such legal services," according to the current text of the measure.

"This disgraceful discrimination undermines the very pro-bono initiatives President Trump has championed to ensure justice for all," White House spokesman Harrison Fields said in a statement.

Fields said the bill would restrict affordable legal representation for New Yorkers "simply for being veterans or Jewish." The proposed bill does not say lawyers cannot receive pro bono credit for specific types of cases unless they are undertaken "pursuant" to Trump's law firm deals.

The legislation is expected to be considered by the state Senate Judiciary Committee next week, according to Hoylman-Sigal, who said it is expected to be approved.

A spokesperson for New York Governor Kathy Hochul said her office does not comment on pending legislation.

Law firms that have struck deals with the Trump administration have faced criticism over the agreements from lawyers, Democratic U.S. lawmakers and others, in part due to the pro bono pledges.

Trump last month directed the U.S. Justice Department to mobilize law firms to defend police officers unjustly accused of misconduct free of charge.

The president has also made repeated comments about "using" the firms that settled with him for particular projects, including working on trade deals. Neither the administration nor the law firms have so far disclosed any pro bono assignments stemming from the agreements.