Steven Banks, the head of the pro bono practice at the prestigious law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, announced his resignation on Wednesday.
His departure follows a controversial agreement between the firm and the Trump administration, which included a deal to lift an executive order that had previously threatened the firm’s business operations.
Banks, who previously served as the commissioner of New York City’s social services agency, stated that he would be focusing on representing the Coalition for the Homeless through the Legal Aid Society.
His resignation came shortly after Paul Weiss agreed to provide $40 million in pro bono legal services as part of the deal to have the executive order lifted.
Banks, 68, explained that he felt compelled to leave the firm in order to return to frontline advocacy, stating, “This has been weighing on me since the November election. At this historical moment, I know that I belong back on the front lines fighting for the things that I have believed in since I first walked in the door of the Legal Aid Society as a staff attorney in 1981.”
He joined Paul Weiss in 2022, after leading the Legal Aid Society and working in former Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration. The firm expressed gratitude for Banks’ contributions and emphasized its continued commitment to providing pro bono legal services.
Paul Weiss is one of several law firms with connections to attorneys involved in investigations against former President Donald Trump or legal challenges to his policies.
These firms have faced executive orders aimed at restricting their federal business, with similar agreements being reached by three other firms to donate legal services. During a recent event, Trump hinted that some of these firms could be used in negotiations concerning the coal industry and tariffs.
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