In this Bloomberg Law commentary (Jan. 5, 2026), attorney Abbe David Lowell argues that authoritarian-leaning leaders often target lawyers first because lawyers are essential to protecting rights and checking executive power. He reframes Shakespeare’s “let’s kill all the lawyers” as a warning: eliminating lawyers makes it easier to undermine democracy.
Lowell says President Donald Trump’s second-term strategy included pressuring major law firms—some of which, he claims, capitulated or scaled back pro bono work—while a smaller set of firms and individual lawyers fought back and won key early court victories. He describes a growing “pro-democracy” legal ecosystem, citing hundreds of lawsuits challenging actions affecting social programs, immigrants, higher education, and the separation of powers (including disputes over AmeriCorps and Harvard funding). He also points to rising law school applications as evidence of renewed interest in public-interest law.
His bottom line: lawyers are doing the job the Founders envisioned—standing between citizens and government abuse—and the country should recognize and defend the legal profession’s role in safeguarding democratic institutions.