Seasoned Legal Veterans Form Non-Profit Firm to Challenge Trump’s Executive Actions During Second Term
A distinguished team of legal professionals, known for their expertise in Washington, are establishing a law firm dedicated to contesting President Donald Trump’s executive orders and administrative actions as he seeks to significantly transform the federal government during his second term.
Known as The Washington Litigation Group, this new non-profit boutique firm comprises experienced attorneys, judges, and former government employees who lost their positions upon the president’s inauguration – some even returning from retirement. Their services will be offered free of charge to those aiming to contest Trump’s use of executive power, with the group already representing the head of an independent agency dismissed by the president.
The firm is spearheaded by Tom Green, former leader of Sidley Austin’s white-collar practice and a seasoned attorney who defended clients during the Watergate investigation and Iran-Contra affair.
Nathaniel Zelinsky, an attorney with experience arguing before federal appeals courts as well as the Supreme Court, joins the firm from Milbank and Hogan Lovells.
While there are other firms addressing similar cases to The Washington Litigation Group, Zelinsky told CNN during a phone call that their group stands out due to the number of individuals who have come out of retirement to work for the firm.
“I believe that sets our firm apart from others who are engaged in this type of work, given that we have this assembly of exceptional individuals who have emerged from retirement to provide their guidance, mentorship, and strategic vision,” Zelinsky stated.
The firm is expected to be actively involved in litigation concerning the unlawful dismissal of civil servants, agency dissolution, and white-collar defense.
The new firm has also recruited two former federal prosecutors who were terminated under the Trump administration: James Pearce and Mary Dohrmann. Pearce and Dohrmann served in various capacities at the Justice Department, including as assistant special counsels to Jack Smith, who was investigating Trump.
“I take pride in being a non-partisan civil servant committed to upholding the rule of law and doing justice,” Pearce expressed during a call with CNN.
Pearce noted that the firm’s diverse range of legal expertise is one of its strengths, citing the presence of attorneys skilled in early stages of investigations as well as those who have practiced before the Supreme Court.
Dohrmann emphasized that many members of the firm aim to continue “upholding the rule of law” in a non-partisan manner, as they have throughout most of their careers.
“What we want to do here is continue the tradition of non-partisan criminal investigations and prosecutions and upholding the rule of law, as we’ve done thus far in our careers,” Dohrmann stated during a call with CNN.
Though the firm cannot discuss ongoing litigation, the group publicly represents Cathy Harris, who was dismissed from her post as chair of the Merit System Protection Board earlier this year. MSPB is an independent agency with the authority to review and reverse federal employee terminations.
The Supreme Court ruled in May that Trump did not have to reinstate Harris while her legal challenge to her dismissal is underway. A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., is still considering whether her removal was lawful at all, with a trial-level judge having already made a decision on the matter.
Green, who returned from retirement himself, stated in a press release that the firm is “deeply concerned about the state of the rule of law in our country.”
“Every passing day we see an increased need for dedicated and talented lawyers to join this cause, and we have fulfilled this by engaging some of the best lawyers from government and the private sector as we embark on our mission,” Green stated in the press release.