President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday, April 28, 2025, which is like, supposed to help law enforcement officers by giving them legal resources and stuff when they face expenses and liabilities for doing their jobs. The order tells Attorney General Pam Bondi to set up a way to provide legal help and protection to officers, including using pro bono assistance from private companies. Some fancy BigLaw firms have agreed to give millions of dollars in pro bono help to causes they and Trump support, so they can avoid getting in trouble with other orders that could affect their lawyers’ security clearances and their clients’ government contracts. The pro bono help promised ranges from $40 million to $125 million. You can read more about this on Law360, Reuters, and the Marshall Project.
Experts who talked to Law360 and the Marshall Project say that officers who get in trouble for things related to their jobs already get free legal help from unions and the government. They also get protection from the government and their insurance companies. The order also says the attorney general and other agencies should use federal resources to improve training for law enforcement, increase pay and benefits for officers, make legal protections stronger, push for harsher punishments for crimes against officers, and invest more in collecting crime data. It tells the attorney general and the secretary of the Department of Defense to give more military and security stuff to local police. The order also says the attorney general should review federal agreements made out of court.
I’m not really sure why all this matters, but the executive order signed by President Donald Trump is supposed to help law enforcement officers who face expenses and liabilities for doing their jobs. The order tells the attorney general to provide legal help and protection to officers, including using pro bono assistance from private companies. Some fancy BigLaw firms have agreed to give millions of dollars in pro bono help to causes they and Trump support, so they can avoid getting in trouble with other orders that could affect their lawyers’ security clearances and their clients’ government contracts. The pro bono help promised ranges from $40 million to $125 million. You can read more about this on Law360, Reuters, and the Marshall Project.
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like officers who get in trouble for things related to their jobs already get free legal help from unions and the government. They also get protection from the government and their insurance companies. The order also says the attorney general and other agencies should use federal resources to improve training for law enforcement, increase pay and benefits for officers, make legal protections stronger, push for harsher punishments for crimes against officers, and invest more in collecting crime data. It tells the attorney general and the secretary of the Department of Defense to give more military and security stuff to local police. The order also says the attorney general should review federal agreements made out of court. Not really sure why this matters, but that’s what the order says, I guess.
