Lawyers are among the top political campaign donors this election cycle. Nonetheless, less money overall is being donated to either side of the ticket in this Biden v. Trump rematch. This inevitably leads to a question – which party is reaping the most monetary benefits from Biglaw firms, their leaders, and their political action committees?
According to American Lawyer, Biglaw firms seem to be leaning rightward when it comes to this year’s congressional races, with Republicans receiving more campaign contributions than Democrats ($268,025 compared with $231,863). However, the legal profession as a whole tends to trend left, with over $103 million being directed to Democrats, compared to $42 million heading to Republicans in 2023-2024.
Notably, Biglaw partners are putting their money where their political preferences are. Some details on Republican donations, as provided by the National Law Journal, appear somewhat small in comparison to the Democratic donations.
- Partners from McGuireWoods; Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld; Latham & Watkins; Akerman; Holland & Hart; Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner; DLA Piper; and Ballard Partners contributed to Trump’s presidential campaign and various pro-Trump PACs.
- Specifically, Tracy Walker, the managing partner of McGuireWoods, contributed $2,250 to Donald Trump For President 2024 Inc. and $2,500 to Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee early in the year. Walker also contributed $5,000 to the McGuireWoods Federal PAC in January, which has since contributed to a number of Democratic and Republican candidates this year.
Democratic donations for the upcoming 2024 election, on the other hand, show a bit more extravagance. To name a few, notable Biglaw campaign contributions include:
- Brad Karp, a chair at the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, contributed $6,600 to Biden for President in mid-2020.
- Emily Henn, a partner and member of the firm’s management committee at Covington & Burling, contributed $5,000 to Biden for President early this year.
As such, the monetary alignment of some of the country’s most prominent legal minds is clear. But whether their monetary vote echoes the sentiments of the rest of America will only be revealed in the months ahead as the 2024 election inches closer.