It’s Time for Big Law and Republicans to Break Up – Inside Sources

Most Republican officials have an unhealthy relationship with “Big Law” because these firms are almost universally Democratic.

Notre Dame law professor Derek T. Muller compiled a ranking of the most liberal and conservative law firms for 2023-2024, and his findings are breathtaking. Among the AmLaw 100  firms, there isn’t one where the Democratic Party doesn’t dominate in contributions from lawyers, employees and the firms themselves.

Muller found $52 million in contributions to Democratic-affiliated groups compared to $4 million for Republican-affiliated groups in 2023-2024, a 12-to-1 ratio, up from 6-to-1 in 2020.

Wow.

Even the Republican National Committee’s lawyers, Jones Day, contributed 75 percent to Democratic candidates and entities. That may explain why Jones Day announced the day after the 2020 election that it would not participate in any election-related lawsuits or proceedings for the RNC or Donald Trump. To be fair, Jones Day is among the largest Republican contributors, as sad as that 23 percent is.

I’ve seen too many Republicans play with the enemy at this intimate level. This is more than misplaced faith in professional neutrality. It reflects a desire to win the approval of the legal establishment, paired with a willingness to accept token Republican representation from institutions otherwise committed to advancing the opposing party. Democrats would never be so careless, yet Republicans never seem to hesitate to commit this kind of political malpractice.

We’re now seeing the same mistake in Kentucky with Attorney General Russell Coleman, a Republican. He is starting down a bad path and should turn quickly. In his first weeks in office, Coleman hired two large, politically active out-of-state firms — Morgan & Morgan and Motley Rice — to sue Kroger Co., even though the company lawfully filled opioid prescriptions written by doctors.

State attorneys general hiring outside firms isn’t new, but it’s disappointing to see a conservative like Coleman team up with Democratic-leaning firms. According to the Alliance for Consumers, Motley Rice gave 100 percent of its 2023 campaign contributions to Democrats, and has given $2.5 million since 2017, with 98 percent going to Democrats and allied committees.

Morgan & Morgan is an even larger Democratic funder, donating $4.5 million to candidates since 2017 — 99 percent to Democrats, including $1.8 million supporting Joe Biden’s campaign before he withdrew. The firm also gave $50,000 to the Kentucky State Democratic Central Executive Committee.

These engagements also raise conflict-of-interest concerns.

Coleman contracted with Chicago-based DiCello Levitt for up to $20 million to “assist” with an investigation into potential Kentucky Consumer Protection Act violations. However, DiCello Levitt is opposing Kentucky in a case before the Supreme Court, where Coleman joined other Republican attorneys general challenging a local government’s authority to bring climate cases in state court. Was Coleman aware of this conflict, and did he seek waivers before letting DiCello proceed?

The contracts fail to protect Kentucky taxpayers. They give the law firms a blank check of up to $20 million per case, with no requirement to reduce costs or lower fees. If a case settles quickly, nothing stops a firm from collecting the $20 million even if it spent little time or resources.

This raises questions: Why is Coleman hiring law firms with Kentucky taxpayer money that helps fund the Democratic Party? Is Coleman working with liberal firms against the Trump administration over prediction markets? How does diverting money from aggrieved consumers to enrich plaintiffs’ attorneys serve Kentuckians?

Coleman’s constituents deserve answers. Public litigation should vindicate the public interest, not enrich politically connected lawyers or subsidize the opposing party.