Flickr
Flickr

Last year, a law firm representing President-elect Donald Trump won “Russian Law Firm of the Year.” Though this news seemed shocking to some given Trump’s alleged ties to Russia, it’s really not all that unusual.

In May 2016, the law firm Morgan Lewis, which advises Trump, was given the honor by Chambers & Partners, a group that reviews legal organizations. A lawyer from the firm was present at Trump’s press conference on Wednesday and discussed how Trump intended on avoiding conflicts of interest with his business once he takes office. Sheri Dillon indicated that the law firm would “design a structure for his business empire that would completely isolate him from the management of the company.” Dillon also indicated that a plan would be created to ensure transparency with Trump and the American people so they know the actions he takes are “not to support his financial interests.”

After the press conference, which was meant to address Trump’s alleged ties to Russia after BuzzFeed published an unverified report on his connections, the news that Morgan Lewis had won “Russian Law Firm of the Year” circulated on social media. Snopes reports, however, that the revelation was not as “significant” as some made it seem.

According to the press release from Morgan Lewis, firms from 24 countries were recognized with the honor. Furthermore, the firm, which is based in the U.S., has offices around the world. The award only applied to the Moscow office. Additionally, other politicians, including Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton, were involved with Morgan Lewis in the past.

Social Media Reacts to “Russian Law Firm of the Year” Advising Trump

What are your thoughts on Trump working with a law firm that was named “Russian Law Firm of the Year”? Sound off in the comments section below!

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore, Flickr