Lawyers who quit BigLaw mostly jobless, but 2 work for opposition firm and another runs for Congress

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Lawyers who quit BigLaw mostly jobless, but 2 work for opposition firm and another runs for Congress

By Debra Cassens Weiss

August 12, 2025, 11:34 am CDT

Most lawyers remain unemployed after quitting their BigLaw firms in protest over pro bono deals reached with President Donald Trump to avoid punitive executive orders, according to a tally by Bloomberg Law. (Image from Shutterstock)

Most lawyers remain unemployed after quitting their BigLaw firms in protest over pro bono deals reached with President Donald Trump to avoid punitive executive orders, according to a tally by Bloomberg Law.

At least 12 lawyers publicly resigned after accusing their law firms of capitulating to Trump.

“Some of the attorneys are resurfacing months later in jobs outside of Big Law, from running for Congress to working at a small firm taking on the Trump administration,” Bloomberg Law reports. “But a majority of the lawyers who left in protest are between jobs, according to interviews with a number of them and LinkedIn profiles for the others.”

Some are embracing a new future. Among the former associates interviewed by Bloomberg Law are:

  • Siunik Moradian, formerly with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. He hopes to work as a public defender. “It is going to be impossible both in the short and long term to come close to the wealth I could have accumulated for myself and my family had I remained in BigLaw,” he told Bloomberg Law.

  • Rachel Cohen, formerly with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. She is now handling media relations part time for a small firm created by former Winston & Strawn litigator Abbe Lowell to handle cases against the Trump administration.

  • Brenna Trout Frey, a former Skadden lawyer. She is now of counsel at Lowell’s firm.

  • Taylor Wettach, a former Simpson Thacher associate. He is seeking a congressional seat in Iowa in what Bloomberg Law calls “a long-shot run.” He told Bloomberg Law that his experience standing up for what he believes in “makes me better prepared to advocate for all Iowans.”

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