Copy and paste the letter below into your word processing software and then replace the placeholder text with your personal information and the date or download a version in Word and personalize it that way.
Don’t forget to make this letter your own by adding your personal story and concerns.
[ Your Name ]
[ Your Address ]
[ Your City State Zip ]
[ Your Email ]
[ Today’s Date, Eg: November 15, 2025 ]
Katherine Adams, Esq., General Counsel
Apple Inc.
One Apple Park Way
Cupertino, CA 95014
Dear Ms. Adams:
I am a longtime consumer of Apple products and shareholder of Apple Inc. I understand that as Apple’s General Counsel one of your responsibilities is to oversee the selection and management of law firms retained to represent Apple’s interests. This letter is to request that when retaining outside counsel Apple not retain law firms that have demonstrated a lack of integrity and independence by capitulating to political pressures, including those associated with recent demands by President Trump.
When the Trump administration sought to punish several large, well established law firms for representing clients or causes the president does not like, some firms stood their ground. They did so even in the face of egregious bullying tactics including threats to terminate federal contracts and to bar law firm personnel from Federal buildings. Several large, corporate firms, including Jenner & Block, Covington & Burling, Perkins Coie, Susman Godfrey and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr showed the integrity and resolve that Apple Inc. should require of their legal service providers. As a shareholder I would hope that Apple Inc. retain firms like these, that demonstrate the highest standard of ethics and independence in representing clients, regardless of pressure from powerful outside forces.
Unfortunately, many of the nation’s largest firms have taken a different path, choosing to capitulate by allowing the President to dictate who the firm may represent and what positions the firm may advocate on behalf of clients. It has been reported that several firms, including Skadden Arps, Kirkland and Ellis, Milbank, Latham & Watkins and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, have agreed not to represent clients or causes that the President finds to be objectionable, and have committed to providing hundreds of millions of dollars of “pro bono” representation of causes sympathetic to the president and his followers (query whether services can be “pro bono” when part of a quid pro quo!) As a result of their lack of courage and resolve some of these firms have already lost legal talent, have been asked not to recruit at many of our best law schools, and have lost clients that demand that their lawyers show strength in the face of adversity.
A commitment to legal independence and ethical standards is fundamental to upholding the integrity of your legal team and the company’s reputation. Utilizing firms that resist unwarranted political influence will affirm Apple’s dedication to principled decision-making and respect for the rule of law.
I can appreciate the pressure that large, international companies face in the “age of Trump” and admire the courage that Apple has shown when confronted with demands regarding its policies of diversity and inclusion. It is my hope that Apple will apply the same standards for ethics, independence and courage in selecting its outside vendors and legal counsel.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
[ Your Name ]
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