I.G. Farben and Nazi Germany
Under Foster Dulles, the firm assisted Nazi Germany's arms buildup effort by incorporating the German chemical company I.G. Farben into an international nickel cartel alongside American, Canadian, and French companies.[24]
1954 Guatemala coup d'état
Sullivan & Cromwell's involvement in the 1954 coup d'état in Guatemala is documented. At the time, the firm represented the United Fruit Company (UFC), which had major holdings in Guatemala. UFC used its lobbying power, through the firm and through other means, to convince President Eisenhower, as well as Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, and his brother, CIA director Allen Dulles, both former partners of the firm, to depose the democratically elected President of Guatemala, Jacobo Arbenz.[25][26]
Insider trading
In 2008, police uncovered an insider trading conspiracy involving a former Sullivan & Cromwell attorney; Toronto Dorsey & Whitney partner Gil Cornblum had discovered inside information at both Sullivan & Cromwell and Dorsey and, with his co-conspirator, a former lawyer and Cornblum's law school classmate, was found to have gained over $10 million in illegal profits over a 14-year span.[27] Cornblum committed suicide by jumping from a bridge as he was under investigation and shortly before he was to be arrested but before criminal charges were laid against him, one day before his alleged co-conspirator pleaded guilty.[27][28][29]
FTX
Sullivan & Cromwell advised the cryptocurrency exchange FTX prior to its 2022 collapse[30] and worked in an advisory role following the company’s declaration of bankruptcy.[31] In January 2023, a bipartisan group of four U.S. Senators published a letter arguing that Sullivan & Cromwell had a conflict of interest as FTX bankruptcy counsel due to its significant pre-bankruptcy work.[32][33] Law Professors Jonathan Lipson and David Skeel argued that as FTX was nearing bankruptcy, Sullivan & Cromwell urged then-CEO Sam Bankman-Fried to transfer control of the company to John J. Ray III by making false promises about Ray's role and failed to suggest that Bankman-Fried and others might face criminal liability.[34]
Pro-Palestinian protestors
In 2024, Sullivan & Cromwell was criticized for scrutinizing students involved with pro-Palestinian student groups, hiring a background check company to scour social media and review news reports and footage from protests. Candidates could face scrutiny even if they weren’t using problematic language but were involved with a protest where others did. Roderick A. Ferguson, a Yale professor of American studies, argued that to "make the leap that it’s all the students", “can mimic racist thinking, sexist thinking, homophobic thinking, that one instance becomes a character of all.” [36]
Representation of Donald J. Trump
In January 2025, Sullivan & Cromwell announced its representation of Donald J. Trump in the appeal of his conviction on 34 felony counts for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election. In doing so, the firm became the first major law firm to risk its reputation by defending Trump from criminal prosecution, with the New York Times writing, "Some clients might look askance at any affiliation with a polarizing president."[37]
Robert Giuffra, co-chair of Sullivan & Cromwell, joined a phone call where President Donald Trump negotiated the targeting of law firms and lawyers under the second Trump administration with the law firm Paul, Weiss as a first among law firms who had discussions with Trump early in his second term.[38][39]
