Trump Orders Prompt US Law Firms’ Pro Bono Retreat, Impact Nonprofits

Since President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025, his executive orders targeting law firms representing adversarial clients have significantly disrupted the American legal profession's pro bono tradition. These orders, aimed at firms involved in politically sensitive cases such as immigration, transgender rights, and challenges related to the January 6 Capitol attack, have instilled fear among major firms, causing many to reduce or withdraw their free legal services to vulnerable communities. Reuters investigations and interviews with lawyers and nonprofits reveal a chilling effect, with dozens of firms scaling back pro bono work and diversity initiatives to avoid becoming targets of the administration, thereby limiting legal support for civil rights groups and nonprofit advocacy organizations. The Trump administration defends these measures as necessary to prevent a 'weaponized' legal system, but critics warn that this threatens the integrity of legal advocacy and the professional responsibility lawyers have to serve those unable to pay. This pressure has reshaped the legal industry's approach to public interest cases, raising ethical concerns about political influence over legal aid and exposing vulnerabilities in relying on elite firms for defending public interests. The retreat of legal assistance has left nonprofits struggling to pursue litigation, threatening a longstanding American tradition of mobilizing free lawyers to challenge government actions on behalf of the vulnerable.