BigLaw partner won’t charge his $3,250 hourly rate to defend New Jersey cities in Trump administration suits

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BigLaw partner won’t charge his $3,250 hourly rate to defend New Jersey cities in Trump administration suits

By Debra Cassens Weiss

July 31, 2025, 10:50 am CDT

Attorney Neal Katyal, now a partner at Milbank, speaks to the press in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., in December 2022. (Photo by Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Milbank partner Neal Katyal usually charges $3,250 per hour, but he is giving quite a break to two New Jersey cities that he will help defend in Trump administration lawsuits challenging their immigration policies.

Katyal, who was also an acting U.S. solicitor general, and other Milbank lawyers will charge $300 per hour, Reuters reports.

Another partner usually charges $2,475 per hour, according to a July 11 contract obtained by Reuters. Billing rates have been lowered because the nonprofit Goodnation Foundation is paying some of the bills, the article explains.

At least two other law firms have billing rates that sometimes surpass $3,000 an hour, the article reports. They are Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Susman Godfrey.

The two clients being represented by Milbank, Newark and Hoboken, are among four New Jersey cities being sued for alleged sanctuary policies said to hinder immigration enforcement.

Milbank’s decision to oppose the Trump administration follows an April deal in which it agreed to provide at least $100 million in pro bono services on issues supported by the firm and President Donald Trump. The deal helped the firm avoid a punitive executive order that could put at risk the firm’s client contracts with the government.

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BigLaw partner’s hourly billing rate of nearly $2,500 draws objection from bankruptcy trustee

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