Law Firms
Executive director of Skadden’s fellowship foundation resigns following firm’s pro bono deal with Trump
The executive director of the Skadden Foundation, a nonprofit entity that manages Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom’s public interest fellowship program, has resigned after the law firm reached a pro bono deal with President Donald Trump that affects its work. (Photo from Shutterstock)
The executive director of the Skadden Foundation, a nonprofit entity that manages Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom’s public interest fellowship program, has resigned after the law firm reached a pro bono deal with President Donald Trump that affects its work.
The deal requires the Skadden Foundation’s public interest fellows to represent “a wide range of political views, including conservative ideals.”
Kathleen Rubenstein announced her resignation on LinkedIn, report Reuters, Bloomberg Law and Politico.
“I recently offered my resignation as executive director of the Skadden Foundation, rather than endorse actions that I believe will undermine its mission,” Rubenstein told Reuters and Politico in a statement.
The Skadden Foundation, founded in 1988, funds fellowships to 25 to 30 law grads each year who work with public interest nonprofits. For two years, recipients receive a salary, benefits and help with their law school loans if not covered by their law school’s low-income protection plan. In 2025, the base salary was $65,000 per year, according to Bloomberg Law.
Skadden’s pro bono deal requires its foundation to fund at least five fellows each year dedicated to helping veterans, ensuring fairness in the justice system, fighting antisemitism and similar projects.
The interim executive director will be Susan Plum, a former director and senior adviser to the Skadden Foundation, she said in a LinkedIn post cited by Bloomberg Law.
“We recognize that maintaining a broad, nonpartisan approach in an increasingly polarized climate is more difficult than ever, and some believe it runs counter to the foundation’s purpose and values,” Plum wrote. “We fundamentally disagree. In fact, the opposite is true. This moment is precisely when the foundation must adhere to its core foundational principle of transcending division to enable the fellows’ work where it is needed most.”
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