The president’s use of government power to punish firms is seen by some legal experts as undercutting a basic tenet: the right to a strong legal defense.

Firms are reviewing all of their potential vulnerabilities. "We have a lot of law firms that we’re going to be going after,” Trump said on Sunday.

Many big corporate law firms are declining to help with public criticism and legal opposition to the second Trump administration, in the wake of executive orders punishing law firms with Democratic ties.