WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s high-powered legal team is facing a major reshuffle, with four of the five senior Sullivan & Cromwell lawyers who initially joined his defence having since departed the team. The shake-up comes as Trump confronts several critical appeals and court deadlines.
Robert Giuffra, co-chair of Sullivan & Cromwell, has emerged as the key figure handling Trump’s major appeals. His work includes Trump’s New York criminal conviction, the E. Jean Carroll defamation litigation and the New York civil-fraud case. Recent reports indicate that Giuffra is now the principal remaining Sullivan & Cromwell lawyer overseeing these major matter
The departures have taken different directions. Jeffrey Wall and Morgan Ratner, two prominent appellate lawyers who represented Trump in his effort to overturn his New York criminal conviction, left Sullivan & Cromwell for rival firm Gibson Dunn. Other lawyers associated with Trump’s defence have moved toward positions linked to the Trump administration or the federal judiciary.
The legal reshuffle comes at a crucial moment for Trump. His legal team is pursuing appeals involving his criminal conviction and the New York civil-fraud judgment, while his fight over an $83.3 million E. Jean Carroll defamation verdict has also reached the US Supreme Court. On Monday, the Supreme Court separately rejected Trump’s appeal over a $5 million Carroll verdict, adding another setback to his legal battles.
With several deadlines approaching, Trump is expected to bring in additional appellate lawyers as his legal battles intensify. The departures from Sullivan & Cromwell have put the spotlight on Giuffra and the firm’s continuing role in some of the most consequential cases facing the president
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