New US outfit poised to challenge presidential actions
Rachel Cohen, the associate whose Skadden resignation went viral on LinkedIn, has announced she will join Lowell and Associates with co-resignees.
Cohen resigned from the New York giant after it promised the Trump administration $100 million in free legal services to avoid being targeted by a hostile executive order, sharing her resignation letter online.
Cohen’s announcement has come via another viral LinkedIn post, where she acknowledged many have “encouraged me to link up with other resigned associates and start a firm”. Cohen claims she is “doing one better” by joining newly founded firm Lowell and Associates as their “strategic & external affairs coordinator”. In the post, Cohen said:
“There is urgent need for lawyers to take on representation that runs counter to Executive wishes and actions. Some lawyers and law firms aren’t prepared to meet the current moment. We are, and I’m hopeful that firms like ours choosing to lead the way will bring others down the path with us.”
Fellow Skadden resignee Brenna Trout Frey will also join the firm, which is yet to have its own website. Abbe Lowell, a prominent white collar defence lawyer who has acted for Ivanka Trump, Hunter Biden, and others, will head up the practice, leaving his role at Winston & Strawn. Two other Winston & Strawn lawyers will follow him.
Since her resignation, Cohen been extremely active on social media, including LinkedIn and TikTok. Cohen helped to organise an open letter, gaining nearly 2,000 anonymous signatures from associates criticising Trump’s orders. She recently launched a personal website and, between interviews, was invited to testify before the Democratic members of Congressional Judiciary Committees on the rule of law. A recent Instagram post shows her protesting alone after a Wisconsin judge was arrested by the FBI.
In a statement, the new firm said:
“Among the firm’s clients are individuals, including current and former state and federal officials, who have been unlawfully and inappropriately targeted by this Administration. The firm also represents entities and organizations involved in litigation over the improper revocation of grant funding by the Department of Government Efficiency and the federal government”
Trump has amassed over £700 million in free services from sanctioning firms. The president has targeted A&O Shearman, Paul Weiss, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and others. Other firms – like WilmerHale, Jenner & Block and Perkins Coie – have suffered restraining orders after challenging Trump’s executive orders in the courts. Amicus briefs in support have been signed by firms like Freshfields. Earlier today, Microsoft dropped Simpson Thacher from a $69 billion matter and instructed Jenner & Block in their place.
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