Here is a free link to the WSJ reporting on this
Boris Epshteyn, who doesn’t work for the government, has negotiated with a series of law firms to cajole them into entering deals
Trump’s Billion Law Firm Deals Are the Work of His Personal Lawyer - The Wall Street Journal
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President Trump has reached around $1 billion in deals with the country’s top law firms in the past month, using the full weight of his presidency to threaten their business.
To do these deals, Trump has turned to a lawyer who doesn’t work for the government.
Trump’s personal lawyer Boris Epshteyn, who has been indicted in Arizona on charges related to Trump’s 2020 election loss, has emerged as the face of the Trump administration’s campaign against large law firms that it views as hostile to the president and his causes, according to lawyers at seven of the firms and White House officials. In a series of meetings and phone calls, Epshteyn has extracted large commitments of pro bono work for Trump-supported causes and changes to the law firms’ hiring practices to Trump’s preferences, the lawyers and officials said.
On Friday alone, five law firms including Latham & Watkins and Kirkland & Ellis entered into such deals worth some $600 million in pro bono work, after talking with Epshteyn.
Epshteyn, 42, has never tried a criminal or civil case and carries a white business card that reads, “Boris Epshteyn, Esq.” that lists his Gmail email account and a cellphone number. He calls a steakhouse in Washington where he hosts meetings every week his unofficial office. His face is caricatured on the wall and the restaurant even stores a portable phone charger for him. Epshteyn earned Trump’s trust by overseeing his legal team after Trump left office and is regularly at the White House, administration officials said......
Epshteyn is a polarizing figure among Trump advisers, and many question his tactics, according to campaign and administration officials. He was indicted in Arizona last year following an investigation into efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss in the state, and has pleaded not guilty there. He previously pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct as part of a bar incident. He was accused by Trump’s campaign lawyer of shaking down potential administration nominees for consulting contracts. Epshteyn has denied the allegations. .....
But the monetary figures were less onerous than they might seem, some lawyers argued. For example, the pro bono commitments in some instances were to be completed “during the Trump administration and beyond.” Beyond, could stretch until the end of time, a lawyer involved in one of the deals said.
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