A Washington Post editorial appeared earlier this week headlined “Trump’s efforts to intimidate the legal profession cannot stand.”

Within 48 hours later, those efforts were not merely standing. They had worked — at least in one case.

The major law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (called Paul, Weiss), targeted by President Trump in an executive order, opted to mollify rather than confront the president. In short, it backed down.

Democrats, as well as many lawyers, are grappling with the implications.

Paul, Weiss agreed to provide $40 million in pro bono work on causes backed by the administration and to hire an outside expert to audit its hiring and employment practices.

After the firm had made those concessions, and some others, Trump agreed to lift an executive order that would have taken away security clearances from the law firm’s staff.

On social media, critics accuse the law firm of giving in to a “shakedown” or “extortion” by Trump.

The firm’s chair, Brad Karp, defended the deal he struck in an email to all employees, according to The New York Times.

Karp reportedly argued he had merely “reaffirmed” the firm’s principles. Others have noted that the $40 million pro bono commitment amounts to only about one-fifth of the pro-bono work the massive firm typically does each year.

That being said,........

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