As I’m in the midst now of making three different podcasts for Audible that have to do with the complexities of the rule of law, the courts, and controversial high-profile lawyers, I was intrigued when David Enrich, whose work I have long admired, sent me a copy of his new book, Servants of the Damned: Giant Law Firms, Donald Trump, and the Corruption of Justice.
In the book, Enrich—the New York Times’ Business Investigations Editor—looks at Jones Day, one of the world’s largest law firms, and the ways in which, he argues, the firm has become corrupted, a shield for corporate interests and also Donald Trump. Yet, other than Enrich, no one has held Jones Day to account! Why is it that lawyers and law firms often escape unscathed from situations in which the rest of us might be held to account? It’s a pressing, important question.