DLA Piper, one of the largest law firms in the world, has gone from publicly denouncing Donald Trump to actively representing him in multiple legal matters.
In January 2021, the firm was the largest of 19 to sign a letter urging Mike Pence and the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment against Trump.
That letter declared Trump “unfit for office, and a reckless and wanton threat to the Constitution,” making the firm’s subsequent pivot all the more striking.
The firm is now defending the sale of early access to the president’s social media posts, a mandate that has raised eyebrows across Washington’s legal community.
A DLA Piper attorney signed Trump’s Third Circuit brief in the Central Park Five defamation case, marking one of the firm’s earliest steps back toward the former president’s orbit.
That same attorney, along with fellow partner Mike Walsh, later joined Trump’s legal team fighting January 6 lawsuits brought by injured Capitol police officers and members of Congress.
Yale Law professor John Morley told Bloomberg that the shift was notable, saying, “It’s striking that a firm that had been so critical of Trump with regard to Jan. 6 would represent him.”
Morley added, “There’s obviously a close connection between the president’s personal interests and political priorities. Firms that wish to gain sway with administration can potentially gain a lot from advising Trump personally.”
Handling Trump’s personal legal matters has proven the most direct route to his favour, as his administration has spent the last year rewarding loyalty and punishing its absence across Biglaw.
DLA Piper has clearly weighed the political and commercial calculations and determined that proximity to power is worth the reputational reversal.
Separately, Wiley Rein’s insurance coverage practice has effectively departed the Am Law 200 firm, with 12 partners and nine other lawyers leaving to launch a new Washington, D.C. boutique called Tyka Law.
The new firm will exclusively represent insurers in high-value cases, covering practice areas including cyber, privacy, and technology, D&O and financial institution liability, and artificial intelligence.
Tyka is led by Ben Eggert, who will serve as managing partner, and Kim Melvin, who co-chaired Wiley’s insurance practice alongside him before the departure.