Servants of the Damned: Giant Law Firms, Donald Trump, and the Corruption of Justice

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Astonishing. ... A powerful and important picture of how mega law firms distort justice.” — Washington Post Throughout the book, I struggled with the ethical expectations of BigLaw. JD’s behavior continues to be condoned (by many, if not most) in the industry thanks to two golden doctrines: 1) everyone deserves representation and 2) once a client, always a client. But does that really describe the current situation? Why do powerful corporations, represented by some of best attorneys in the country, get to create even more precedents in their favor? But there is also no legitimate way to stop them — legislatively forbidding people from obtaining the best representation they can find would equal a condemnation before the trial even begins. Whether the intensity of Enrich’s disdain is deserved is debatable. The public holds lawyers in lower esteem than auto mechanics, nursing home operators, bankers and local politicians. On the other hand, lawyers fare better than reporters. Beyond that, the bar’s canons demand that lawyers zealously represent their clients. Reputational concern and the ease or difficulty of recruiting fresh talent and clients are often more potent restraints than finger-wagging. Enrich’s stories provide a disturbing window into how the rules underpinning democracy have been weaponised by those meant to protect it.” — New Statesman Monday’s newsletter is an exclusive adapted excerpt from “ Servants of the Damned: Giant Law Firms, Donald Trump, and the Corruption of Justice ,” a new book by David Enrich, the business investigations editor at The New York Times.

A long-overdue exposé of the astonishing yet shadowy power wielded by the world’s largest law firms. Though not a household name, Jones Day is well known in the halls of power, and serves as a powerful encapsulation of the changes that have swept the legal profession in recent decades. Founded in the US in 1893, it has become one of the world’s largest law firms, a global juggernaut with deep ties to corporate interests and conservative politics.As he did with his 2020 “Dark Towers” investigation of unsavory financial practices by Deutsche Bank, Enrich reaches his view about the attitude and direction of the legal profession: But that’s also where this book felt like it lost its way. It’s too specific onto one firm for me to really buy into the whole industry claim. There’s the wrong combination of sort of a hand wavy Federalist Society Boogeymen, and a sort of inclusive hand gesture at all of the big law firms. Not that I don’t think other firms are engaging in similar behavior, but other firms aren’t representing Purdue Pharma, or trying to structurally lay claims to overthrow elections. And to make that claim as a sweeping generalization seems to require more evidence in this book put forth. Jones Day has emerged as a “go-to firm for Republicans, mainstream and fringe alike”, as Enrich puts it. With sneakers, vodka and computers, branding matters. Law firms are a little different. Through that lens, Servants of the Damned is as much a rebuke of one large firm as it is an indictment of Trump’s Republican party. Servants of the Damned is a feat of thoughtful, detailed research, rendering with clarity and even compassion the moral drift of 'big law.' As an attorney, I found it illuminating—but this is important reading for anyone concerned about law and policy." — Ronan Farrow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Catch and Kill Another time, Ginsberg complained to Michael Glassner, a senior Trump campaign aide. Not only did Ginsberg object to what Trump was saying, but it was just stupid politics, he noted. Why oppose mail-in voting in the middle of a pandemic? (Glassner dismissed Ginsberg as an elitist and a prima donna.)

And to do so, by using trial courtroom tactics that changed enough jury member perceptions of evidence to sow doubts about what happened and win cases. These tactics have been examined in more detail in Adam Benforado’s insightful 2015 “Unfair: the New Science of Criminal Justice.” Servants of the Damnedis a feat of thoughtful, detailed research, rendering with clarity and even compassion the moral drift of 'big law.' As an attorney, I found it illuminating—but this is important reading for anyone concerned about law and policy." — Ronan Farrow,Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Catch and KillI recently finished reading " Servants of the Damned ," a new book by New York Times business investigations editor David Enrich. The book exposes how Jones Day, one of the world's largest law firms, has used its immense power to enable corporate misconduct and, more recently, the Trump administration. I reached out to Enrich because his book provides essential insights into how corporations, with the help of firms like Jones Day, manipulate the political system. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. I hope you enjoy it. — Judd So, it was not the easiest process I've ever had as a reporter, but I don't want to make myself sound like this huge David versus Goliath thing. They were applying the normal standard pressure tactics that a big institution or big company will generally use to try to control or exert some pressure over what people are prepared to write. And that's something that, unfortunately, has become the norm in these situations.