Overview
Brad Karp, who served as chairman of Paul Weiss for nearly two decades, relinquished the post this week after a sequence of developments that began with the 2024 U.S. presidential election and culminated in the public release of communications involving the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The disclosures, contained in Justice Department records released following congressional pressure, revealed exchanges between Karp and Epstein that renewed scrutiny of the law firm leader and prompted his departure from the role of chairman.
Election activity and political positioning
In the months after Kamala Harris was chosen to replace Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee in July 2024, Karp undertook a broad fundraising effort on her behalf. He contacted hundreds of corporate lawyers in support of Harris and joined other high-profile Democratic fundraisers at election night events in Washington in November 2024, anticipating a Harris victory over Donald Trump. One partner at Paul Weiss also assisted Harris in preparing for her debate with Trump.
When Trump won the election, his return to the presidency set off a chain of events that affected Karp and Paul Weiss. The administration's response included an executive order in March that blacklisted Paul Weiss from federal buildings and government contracts, a move aimed at firms the president viewed as adversaries. That action intensified pressure on the firm and its leadership.
Negotiation with the White House and internal fallout
Facing the prospect that the executive order could trigger a wave of client departures and imperil the firm, Karp sought a settlement with the administration. He met at the White House in a session that began with an extended discussion of golf. Sullivan & Cromwell co-chair Robert Giuffra, a Republican and attorney for the president, was connected to that meeting by phone and later assisted in negotiating a resolution.
The settlement resulted in the rescission of the executive order in exchange for the firm committing to provide $40 million of free legal work for causes the president supported. Several other law firms reached comparable arrangements with the administration to avoid similar directives, and collectively eight firms pledged pro bono or free work worth nearly $1 billion. Four other targeted firms instead sued and succeeded in having courts rule the directives unconstitutional.
The deal that Karp negotiated made him a focal point of criticism within the firm, particularly among lawyers aligned with the Democratic Party. At least a dozen partners departed after the settlement, including the partner who had worked on Harris's debate preparation. The episode exposed internal divisions and fed perceptions among some that the firm had capitulated rather than resist the administration's actions.
Justice Department disclosures and Epstein communications
A bipartisan push in Congress compelled the Justice Department to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein. At the end of January, a trove of emails was made public showing extensive communications between Karp and Epstein. Those records included messages in which Karp thanked Epstein for what he called a "once in a lifetime" dinner in 2015 that featured Woody Allen, and a request from Karp seeking Epstein's help finding a role for his son on one of Allen's film projects.
Other emails showed Karp and Epstein discussing a woman seeking money from Leon Black, the co-founder of Apollo Global Management, whom Karp had represented. The records also included exchanges about Epstein's 2008 non-prosecution agreement, following his Florida conviction for prostitution charges that included soliciting an underage girl. The released emails suggested Karp and Epstein remained in contact as recently as early 2019, months before Epstein's 2019 arrest on sex trafficking charges and his subsequent death in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial.
The publication of those communications prompted Karp to step down as chairman. In the firm's Wednesday statement announcing his resignation, Karp said that recent reporting had become a distraction and placed an unwanted spotlight on him that was not in the firm's best interests. The firm previously stated that Karp regretted his interactions with Epstein and "never witnessed or participated in misconduct." Karp has not been accused of illegal conduct.
Continuity at the firm and leadership transition
Paul Weiss said Karp will remain at the firm in a client-serving capacity. Scott Barshay, whom Karp recruited in 2016 to strengthen mergers and acquisitions and other corporate practices, was named his replacement as chairman. The firm emphasized continuity of client service while acknowledging the leadership change.
From a litigation bastion to a broader corporate platform
Founded in 1875 by Samuel William Weiss and Julius Frank, Paul Weiss established itself historically as a defender of civil liberties. The firm was an early pioneer in advancing inclusion when it named a female partner in the 1940s and later assisted Thurgood Marshall in the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education case that overturned legal segregation in public schools.
Karp joined Paul Weiss as a summer associate in 1983 and rose through the ranks, eventually leading the litigation department before being elected chairman. Under his stewardship, the firm expanded beyond traditional litigation to become a major presence in high-value corporate work, recruiting prominent dealmakers while maintaining strong ties to the Democratic political establishment. He helped attract institutional clients in the financial sector and built leading litigation and transactional practices.
Observers and advisers to law firms have noted Karp's ability to develop close relationships and build consensus, qualities that allowed him to recruit rainmakers and elevate Paul Weiss to top-tier status. Recruiting Barshay amplified the firm's capabilities in corporate deals and mergers work, shifting some of the firm's center of gravity toward transactional practice alongside its litigation strengths.
Public advocacy and political litigation
Karp frequently directed firm resources toward confronting actions by the Trump administration. Paul Weiss lawyers investigated the president and represented plaintiffs in lawsuits arising from the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The firm also led litigation following the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville in 2017 and engaged in lawsuits against the firearms industry. In 2018, Karp mobilized lawyers to challenge the administration's family separation policy at the U.S. border.
Those activities placed the firm squarely in opposition to certain administration policies and contributed to its selection as a target when Trump returned to the presidency in January 2025.
Representation of Leon Black and connections to Epstein
Karp represented Leon Black, and Epstein later became involved in fee disputes with Black. According to the firm, Karp first met Epstein through his representation of Black. The emails released by the Justice Department showed Karp and Epstein discussing matters related to Black and other issues that ultimately factored into the controversy leading to Karp's resignation.
Reflections from legal observers
Some legal scholars and former senior attorneys at the firm described the episode as a cautionary tale about leadership and institutional independence. One former senior Paul Weiss attorney, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the situation resembled a Greek tragedy centered on a law firm leader. Others noted that the very shifts Karp achieved - expanding the firm's corporate and transactional profile and enhancing its influence - also created vulnerabilities the administration could exploit.
Kevin Burke, a law professor who has led a firm, described Karp as a generational leader who pushed Paul Weiss into a profitable and competitive position within private equity legal work. At the same time, Burke and other observers said that a visible engagement with the executive branch and an early decision to settle created perceptions of accommodation that conflicted with the firm's historic identity as an institution that advanced civil liberties and progressive causes.
Consequences and open questions
The firm's leadership transition and the public release of Karp's communications with Epstein leave unanswered questions about Paul Weiss's internal cohesion and its long-term positioning among corporate clients and political constituencies. While Karp remains with the firm as a practicing lawyer, the departures of at least a dozen partners after the settlement with the White House underscore the degree of internal strain.
Paul Weiss issued a statement noting the leadership change and Karp's continued client-facing role, but the firm has not provided further comment beyond the resignation announcement. Karp did not respond to requests for comment.
Closing
The series of events that led to Karp's resignation as chairman of Paul Weiss traces back to the 2024 election, a contentious negotiation with the White House over an executive order, and the later publication of communications tying him to Jeffrey Epstein. The episode has altered the leadership landscape at one of America's most prominent law firms and raised questions about the balance between institutional independence and proximity to political power.