A lot of cowards in powerful positions.

It’s a shit spot to be in, as basically all of them work cases in federal court. If your lawyers are physically prevented entry to federal property because some orange buffoon bans the entire firm by the stroke of a pen, that law firm is completely impotent and unable to argue in federal cases, even those that don’t end up in a courtroom. Judges chambers, pre-trial motions, informal meetings, etc all are impossible or vastly more difficult.

It was a very targeted and deliberate move to put these firms in a lose:lose scenario - give an absurd amount of pro-bono work to your abuser, or wither and die as your clients are forced to move to another firm:

The orders threatened to bar attorneys from where they work, courthouses and federal agencies and cancel the contracts of law firm clients. For example, an aerospace company could lose its federal contracts if it stayed with the firm. A senior partner at one firm told us the president’s orders were, quote, “diabolical.” “Intended to bankrupt [us].”

Lawyers and law firms lean very very heavily on relationships. Far too much honestly. Who your lawyer knows really shouldn’t matter when it comes to legel matters, but often it means more than the law. So being in the sights of the leader of the republican party really reduces the image of a lawyer with connections. Thus it is very very bad for business.

I never realized until Trump came along how strong the urge to lick boots is in humanity - because if anyone is in exactly the right position with the capabilities and know how it these high-powered firms. And yet they’d rather supplicate themselves? Pathetic.