When it comes to big cases—major, career-propelling, history-making cases—nothing holds more of a draw than representing the president of the United States. It's an opportunity that under any other circumstances, attorneys would be exchanging Monte Negro shoves with one another to get to the front of the line.
But this circumstance, in particular, requires that you represent Donald Trump. And apparently no amount of money or fame is worth taking on that burden. Mike Isikoff of Yahoo News writes:
Top lawyers with at least four major law firms rebuffed White House overtures to represent President Trump in the Russia investigations, in part over concerns that the president would be unwilling to listen to their advice, according to five sources familiar with discussions about the matter.
The unwillingness of some of the country’s most prestigious attorneys and their law firms to represent Trump has complicated the administration’s efforts to mount a coherent defense strategy to deal with probes being conducted by four congressional committees as well as Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller. [...]
Among them, sources said, were some of the most high-profile names in the legal profession, including Brendan Sullivan of Williams & Connolly; Ted Olson of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Paul Clement and Mark Filip of Kirkland & Ellis; and Robert Giuffra of Sullivan & Cromwell.
Oh man, it's a desperate day in Washington when Paul Clement turns down an opportunity to represent some dodgy conservative enterprise.
They all have great excuses though—scheduling, upcoming trials, conflicts of interest, critical dental work, their childrens’ pee-wee sporting events, hair transplants, chewing glass, notes from their moms.
Meanwhile, outside the White House, special counsel Robert Mueller isn't having any trouble. Attorneys are practically throwing themselves at the opportunity to investigate this train wreck of an administration.