Rachel Cohen, whose resignation from Skadden went viral on LinkedIn, has announced her new role at Lowell and Associates, a firm she is joining with fellow resignees. Cohen left the New York legal giant after it promised the Trump administration $100 million in free legal services to avoid being targeted by a hostile executive order, sharing her resignation letter online.
Cohen’s announcement came via another viral LinkedIn post, where she stated that many encouraged her to link up with other resigned associates and start a firm.
Fellow Skadden resignee Brenna Trout Frey will also join the firm, which is yet to have its own website. Abbe Lowell, a prominent white collar defence lawyer who has acted for Ivanka Trump, Hunter Biden, and others, will head up the practice, leaving his role at Winston & Strawn. Two other Winston & Strawn lawyers will follow him.
Since her resignation, Cohen has been extremely active on social media, including LinkedIn and TikTok. She helped to organize an open letter, gaining nearly 2,000 anonymous signatures from associates criticizing Trump’s orders. Cohen recently launched a personal website and was invited to testify before the Democratic members of Congressional Judiciary Committees on the rule of law.
The new firm stated that among its clients are individuals, including current and former state and federal officials, who have been unlawfully and inappropriately targeted by this Administration. The firm also represents entities and organizations involved in litigation over the improper revocation of grant funding by the Department of Government Efficiency and the federal government.
Trump has amassed over £700 million in free services from sanctioning firms. The president has targeted A&O Shearman, Paul Weiss, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and others. Other firms – like WilmerHale, Jenner & Block, and Perkins Coie – have suffered restraining orders after challenging Trump’s executive orders in the courts. Amicus briefs in support have been signed by firms like Freshfields. Earlier today, Microsoft dropped Simpson Thacher from a $69 billion matter and instructed Jenner & Block in their place.
