Attorneys at America’s largest law firms are leaning harder left, even as the broader electorate trends rightward. A new study shows Big Law donations favored Democrats by a staggering 12-to-1 ratio in 2024, highlighting a growing disconnect between elite legal circles and the rest of the country.
Derek Muller, a professor at Notre Dame Law School, found that firms within the AmLaw 100 donated $52 million to Democrats and just $4 million to Republicans during the 2024 election cycle. Muller admitted he was “surprised to see such a stark shift, in only four years.” In 2020, the ratio stood at 6-to-1.
This sharp turn comes even as voters delivered former president Donald Trump a six-point popular vote swing in 2024 and shifted more than 89 percent of U.S. counties in his favor compared to 2020. Yet, at elite firms, more than 99 percent of employee donations at 16 of the top 100 firms went exclusively to Democrats. Not a single firm gave the majority of its donations to Republicans.
Trump has clashed with these firms, signing executive orders targeting Perkins Coie and Jenner & Block, accusing them of “undermining democratic elections” and practicing “racial discrimination.” Republican attorneys general have also warned that AmLaw 100 firms may be violating civil rights law through diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring practices.
As Muller noted, these firms also back liberal causes in the courts. His research found they filed far more friend-of-the-court briefs supporting left-leaning positions in major Supreme Court cases. In his words, “such a stark shift” underscores how out of step elite law firms are with the voters who increasingly reject left-wing ideology.
