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The Shift: The Legal Industry is Squarely in the Crosshairs of Politics Proceedings

 Law firms and legal departments have faced increasing pressure from internal and external stakeholders over the past two years when it comes to taking positions on hot-button issues. Talent, clients and the public have come to expect statements on everything including hate crimes, voting rights, wars and human rights. But for corporations and law firms alike, the past few months have brought that conversation directly to the legal industry, implicating the rule of law, politics, jurisdictional differences and the perils of operating a business in a polarized society where the U.S. Supreme Court has returned power to the states.

We saw it when SCOTUS issued a ruling in favor of gun rights in a concealed-carry case out of New York. National outrage over gun violence reached a point where Kirkland & Ellis—the firm for the gun lobby in that case–needed to make a decision: part ways with the gun clients or part ways with the lawyer representing them, former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement. Clement left and Kirkland said it would no longer take Second Amendment cases.