Michael Barbaro

Yeah, it definitely is.

I want to start...

By asking you to explain, Thomas, how it is that you came to be a lawyer in the first place and ended up at this very prestigious firm where you worked until just a few days ago, Skadden Arps.

What's that story?

Wow.

And when you say this project, what do you mean?

I'm getting from you a real sense of idealism and a real pure admiration for what the United States represents.

So talk about how this all translates into your decision to become a lawyer, to enter this industry.

I'm just going to explain to people.

Yes.

By Skadden, you mean Skadden Arps?

Skadden Arps, yes.

Big, big law firm has an office here in New York, has offices, I think, all over the world.

It's one of the firms that we think of when we think of this concept of big law.

Law firms that do a huge amount of work in corporate America.

So when did you start to understand that Skadden had entered the president's crosshairs?

Right.

I believe the claim was that these law firms may have practiced discrimination through the application of diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

And these executive orders, I think it's worth reminding listeners, they can feel to the law firms that are being hit with them like death sentences because they explicitly prevent these firms like Perkins Coie from interacting with the federal government.

And so the people who work at these firms fear that they may go out of business.