Some go-to attorneys have been spooked by Trump's reputation for sometimes not paying as a client, according to several people familiar with conservative legal circles. Others watched closely as lawyers fled Trump's prior teams, frustrated by him as a client or facing their own ethical predicaments.
The three lawyers in addition to Burck who have turned down Trump's entreaties in recent months, one source said, are the conservative heavy-hitters Charles Cooper, Mark Filip and Paul Clement.
And at least four well-known lawyers were repeatedly approached by Trump's team for help in recent weeks -- and said no, a source familiar with the discussions tells CNN. Among the four is William Burck, the white-collar lawyer who represented 11 Trump associates in and after the Mueller investigation.
Indeed, lawyers who worked in Trump's White House or campaign are still at work for the ex-President and now focused on more narrow tasks, such as handling executive privilege discussions with the National Archives or communicating with potential ex-White House witnesses called to Capitol Hill.
A criminal case generally falls into one of four categories.
Let's assume a prosecutor wants to pursue a category four case — that is, a big case against Trump. Such a case would be likely to involve complex financial transactions, such as those resulting in huge, questionable tax refunds to the Trump Organization, a focus of New York's attorney general and Manhattan's district attorney.
Large sections of the legal industry have publicly distanced themselves from Trump for years, and especially at the end of his presidency, when he pushed dozens of lawsuits to challenge his 2020 electoral loss and spread unfounded voter fraud accusations.
In the January 6 aftermath, Trump's legal approach has structured itself differently from past investigations, such as the Mueller probe and during the Ukraine impeachment, where presidential privilege and litigation czars emerged.
A larger, more experienced firm may be needed if the Trump executive privilege fight heads into appeals.