Amid Trump Threats... US Government Lawyers Seeking Jobs at Corporate Law Firms

"Resumes are pouring in." Ahead of the inauguration of the Donald Trump administration, which has announced large-scale government efficiency measures, reports have emerged that federal government lawyers, including those from the Department of Justice, are increasingly knocking on the doors of corporate law firms.

AP Yonhap News

On the 1st (local time), major foreign media outlets cited law firm executives reporting that hundreds of federal government lawyers from the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have recently submitted applications to these law firms for job transitions.

A department head at a major law firm, who requested anonymity, explained that they have received applications even from lawyers with decades of government experience, describing the situation as literally a 'deluge of resumes.' Michelle Feibel, a recruiter at the headhunting firm Hatch Henderson Feibel, also conveyed the atmosphere, saying, "In recent weeks, I have met frequently with law firm leaders," and "They said they are seeing applications from various (government) agencies."

They agreed that while some level of job movement is typically observed with every White House administration change, this year the scale far exceeds the average. Dan Binstock, a headhunter in Washington DC, said, "Since the presidential election, it has increased fivefold compared to usual."

Notably, the job movement is spreading significantly not only among high-ranking officials directly affected by the administration change but also among working-level government employees. A source said, "Federal government lawyers attempting to move to the private sector expect regulations to be drastically relaxed and entire teams to be disbanded after Trump's inauguration."

Locally, there are growing expectations that President-elect Trump, who is set to take office in January next year, will immediately wield the Department of Justice as a tool for judicial risk retaliation. Trump has announced the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and appointed Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former Republican presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy as heads, signaling a major overhaul toward a 'smaller federal government.'

According to March data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, approximately 44,000 employees working in the federal government hold law licenses, with about one-third of them belonging to the Department of Justice. Additionally, the Department of Education, which Trump has pledged to abolish, is estimated to have about 600 lawyers.

Wiji Devani, a former federal prosecutor now with Baker McKenzie, reported that after Trump initially nominated former Congressman Matt Gaetz as the next Attorney General last month, concerns about future changes within the Department of Justice grew, and some lawyers were confirmed to be hastening their job transitions. However, Gaetz voluntarily withdrew his candidacy after controversies expanded over allegations including the solicitation of minors.