NRA Drops King and Spalding

The National Rifle Association Monday became the second known King and Spalding client to drop the Atlanta-based firm after its recent decision to pull out of Defense of Marriage Act litigation for the U.S. House of Representatives.

BLT Blog reports that the NRA, which was represented by former King and Spalding partner Paul Clement in a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court case, wrote in a letter that the law firm's decision was an "indefensible" move -- one that called into question its "ability to be a reliable and effective advocate for any client facing potentially controversial litigation."

Last week, Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, who has recently opposed revising state adoption regulations to prevent discrimination against gay prospective parents, also axed King and Spalding as outside counsel for his office. In a letter, Cuccinelli called the firm's decision to bow out of the DOMA litigation as "an obsequious act of weakness."

King and Spalding's pullout in the DOMA cases, however, drew support from gay rights groups including the Human Rights Campaign, which commended the law firm for its decision to "to stand on the right side of history and remain true to its core values."

NRA general counsel David Lehman told The Wall Street Journal, "I anticipate we will continue to use Paul Clement" at his new firm, Bancroft PLLC.

Text of the NRA letter is can be found on the BLT Blog here.