<div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-0"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Perkins Coie, the law firm that President Trump targeted for punishment with an executive order last week for its role representing Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, has hired an elite Washington firm, Williams &amp; Connolly, to fight the order, according to four people briefed on the matter.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The decision to hire Williams &amp; Connolly — which is considered among the most aggressive and skilled firms in fighting the federal government — marked a significant escalation in <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/us/politics/trump-perkins-coie.html" title="">the fight between Perkins Coie and Mr. Trump</a>.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">There were concerns in the legal community that no firm would step forward to represent Perkins Coie. But now Mr. Trump’s Justice Department will be forced to face off against some of the top litigators in the country to defend what legal experts consider one of his most direct attacks on his perceived enemies, and the American legal system.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The executive order Mr. Trump signed on Thursday essentially crippled Perkins Coie’s ability to represent clients dealing with the federal government by stripping it of access to government buildings and officials. The president said he was taking the action, in part, because of Perkins Coie’s role in hiring another firm that helped create a dossier on Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia.</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="Dropzone-1"></div><div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-1"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">A spokesman for Perkins Coie, which is based in Seattle but has a large Washington office, declined to comment. Emails sent to Williams &amp; Connolly were not answered.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Legal experts and top Washington lawyers said the order targeting Perkins Coie was among Mr. Trump’s most troubling maneuvers since returning to office. Not only did it appear designed to destroy the firm, they said, it seemed intended to have a chilling effect on the entire legal profession, signaling that firms could face major consequences for simply representing an adversary of Mr. Trump.</p><div class="css-1336jj"><div class="css-121kum4"><div class="css-171quhb"></div><div class="css-asuuk5"><noscript><div class="css-7axq9l" data-testid="optimistic-truncator-noscript"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="css-1b5b8u1" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="24"><path clip-rule="evenodd" d="M2.5 12a9.5 9.5 0 1 1 19 0 9.5 9.5 0 0 1-19 0Zm8.5 1.75v-7.5h2v7.5h-2Zm0 2v2h2v-2h-2Z" fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd"></path></svg><div class="css-6yo1no" data-testid="optimistic-truncator-noscript-message"><p class="css-3kpklk">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.</p><p class="css-3kpklk">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.</p></div></div></noscript><div class="css-1dv1kvn" id="optimistic-truncator-a11y" tabindex="-1"><hr/><p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. 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