At this point I suspect it's a new scam. These people are clearly deliberately not paying their lawyers. Once the lawyers are done, they move on to new ones.
I'm wondering whether the lawyers are complicit – I guess not. But I honestly have no idea whether Trump & co. are generating profits through this scheme.
Edit: so, one way to establish a scam in this way is for the lawyers to demonstrate how they'd defend other conservatives. By defending people around Trump, these lawyers, for example, might be introduced to potential conservative clients. When they find enough clients they call it a day, and cancel the contract with the powerful people who don't pay them.