Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the nation’s most prestigious law firms, has deepened its ties to President Donald Trump by placing multiple partners in top government posts, most recently appointing James M. McDonald as a deputy U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York in early July 2026.
McDonald, a litigation partner and co-head of Sullivan & Cromwell’s Securities & Commodities Investigations Practice, took the position after Trump announced his nomination in mid-June to replace Jay Clayton as the office’s chief. McDonald had been part of Trump’s legal team on his criminal appeal and civil cases while at the firm, according to multiple sources including the Department of Justice and Law.com.
The McDonald appointment is the latest in a pattern of Sullivan & Cromwell attorneys moving into the Trump administration. In April 2026, Trump nominated Matthew Schwartz, another Sullivan & Cromwell partner, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Schwartz was also part of Trump’s legal team representing him in his criminal appeal of his New York conviction for hiding a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, according to Bloomberg Law News and Reuters.
At least a half-dozen Sullivan & Cromwell attorneys have joined the Trump administration between his first and second terms, according to Law.com reporting from June 2026. The firm’s co-chair Robert Giuffra leads the team representing Trump personally in his criminal appeals out of New York, while the firm also handles his civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to Law.com and the Wall Street Journal.
Expanding Legal Representation
Sullivan & Cromwell’s role as Trump’s counsel has expanded significantly. In July 2026, the firm joined Trump’s legal team for the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, in which Trump is appealing an $83 million verdict, according to the Wall Street Journal. The petition to the Supreme Court is expected to rely on presidential immunity arguments similar to those the firm is making in the separate criminal case out of New York.
Trump first retained Sullivan & Cromwell to appeal his criminal hush money conviction in January 2025, marking the elite white-shoe firm’s entry into Trump’s legal matters at a significant scale. The firm’s co-chairman Robert Giuffra drew what Law.com described as a red line for partners who joined the firm’s Trump representation, establishing boundaries for the work.
The concentration of Sullivan & Cromwell lawyers in Trump’s administration and legal circle raises questions about the firm’s unique position. No other Big Law firm appears to match Sullivan & Cromwell’s history and depth of connections with Trump, according to Law.com’s analysis from June 2026. Jay Clayton, the current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York whom McDonald is succeeding, was himself formerly a senior policy advisor and counsel at Sullivan & Cromwell, according to Ballotpedia.
Sources
- Law.com — reported Sullivan & Cromwell partner James McDonald’s nomination as SDNY chief and the firm’s deepening Trump ties
- Department of Justice — confirmed McDonald’s appointment as Deputy U.S. Attorney and his background at Sullivan & Cromwell
- Reuters — reported Matthew Schwartz’s nomination to the Second Circuit and his work on Trump’s criminal appeal
- Bloomberg Law News — covered Schwartz’s nomination and his role on the hush money case appeal
- Wall Street Journal — reported Sullivan & Cromwell joining the E. Jean Carroll defamation case and McDonald’s appointment
- Politico — reported that at least 10 of Trump’s former lawyers have landed jobs in the administration or been nominated to the federal bench as of May 2026
