Paul Weiss law firm Chairman Brad Karp resigns after Epstein emails released

By Mike Scarcella

Feb 4 (Reuters) – Brad Karp, longtime chairman of the powerful Wall Street law firm Paul Weiss, has resigned his top leadership role and will be replaced by partner Scott Barshay, the firm said on Wednesday.

Karp has faced scrutiny after emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday revealed extensive personal and business communications he had with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a statement released by Paul Weiss, Karp said “recent reporting” had created a distraction that was not in the firm’s best interest. He did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

The firm had said on Tuesday that Karp “regrets” his interactions with Epstein.

KARP, FIRM HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED FOR DEAL WITH TRUMP

Karp, who has chaired the firm since 2008, attended dinners with Epstein and sought his help getting his son a job with a Woody Allen film production, according to the firm and a Reuters review of emails that were among millions of Epstein-related documents in the latest tranche released by the DOJ.

A litigator who helped grow Paul Weiss’ annual revenues under his leadership to more than $2.6 billion in 2024, Karp built a reputation as a defender of Wall Street while also championing social justice causes. As a Democratic Party fundraiser, he helped rally lawyers for Kamala Harris’ failed 2024 presidential campaign against Donald Trump.

Karp met Epstein through his work representing Leon Black, co-founder and former chairman of Apollo Global Management. 

The firm and Karp separately faced criticism for agreeing in March to pledge tens of millions of dollars in free legal work to causes supported by the White House in exchange for Trump rescinding an executive order targeting Paul Weiss.

Karp has defended the deal with Trump, saying the president’s executive order threatened its survival. The order restricted Paul Weiss’ government access and federal contracting work, citing its connections to his political enemies and its racial-diversity efforts.

Eight other firms later reached similar pro bono deals with the administration to avoid similar orders, pledging work worth nearly $1 billion combined. Four rival law firms that were hit with Trump executive orders sued the White House and won court rulings striking down the measures.

Paul Weiss, which employs more than 1,000 lawyers, is known for its work representing major financial institutions such as Apollo and Citigroup in deals and litigation. Barshay, Karp’s successor, previously chaired the firm’s corporate department.

(Reporting by Mike Scarcella, Mike Spector, Karen Freifeld, Karen Sloan and Mrinmay Dey; Editing by David Bario and William Mallard)