**Paul Weiss Faces Leadership Challenges Amid High-Profile Departures**
Paul Weiss leader Brad Karp has dedicated over a decade to elevating the firm’s deals practice to match its esteemed litigation work. However, a recent agreement with former President Donald Trump has disrupted this balance. Following the March 20 deal, which involved providing $40 million in pro bono legal services, the firm experienced a wave of departures among litigation partners. Karp indicated that this arrangement was necessary to navigate an executive order that posed a threat to the firm’s viability.
Notably, Jeh Johnson, a prominent Democrat and former Secretary of Homeland Security, recently retired after nearly 40 years with the firm. Shortly thereafter, a notable group of litigators, including Karen Dunn, Bill Isaacson, and Jeannie Rhee, left to establish their own firm, which has already attracted seven former Paul Weiss partners. Additionally, Damian Williams, the former Manhattan U.S. Attorney, departed after just six months to join Jenner & Block, a firm that successfully challenged a Trump executive order in court. All these individuals have connections to the Democratic Party.
These departures highlight a broader trend at Paul Weiss, as the firm increasingly focuses on lucrative work for private equity firms like Apollo Global Management, Blackstone, and Bain Capital. While this shift has led to increased headcount, revenue, and profitability, it has also raised questions about the firm’s identity. Alisa Levin, a seasoned recruiter with Greene-Levin-Snyder Legal Search Group, noted, “Paul Weiss made a decision a while ago to invest in their corporate work, and this is just a further development in that trajectory.” She added that no one from the corporate side has left, and she doubts anyone will.
Under Karp’s leadership, the firm has altered its compensation structure, making it so partners are unaware of each other’s earnings, and introduced a second tier of partners who do not share in the firm’s profits. Some of those who left for Dunn’s new firm were categorized as income partners, according to sources familiar with the firm. Data from Leopard Solutions indicates that the corporate practice now surpasses the litigation group in size.
Karp, who has been with Paul Weiss for over 40 years, gained prominence as a litigator and led the firm’s courtroom practice before becoming chairman in 2008. He has established himself as a key legal advisor for the National Football League and has built a strong reputation among major banks like Citigroup and Morgan Stanley. In a 2024 podcast interview, Karp expressed his initial attraction to Paul Weiss, citing its reputation as a leading litigation and white-collar defense firm. He also identified public M&A, private equity, and restructuring as essential practice areas for the firm’s growth when he took the helm. “You wouldn’t be at the top of the national or New York market if you were a very successful litigation defense boutique,” he remarked.
As Paul Weiss navigates these changes, the firm’s future direction remains a topic of interest within the legal community.
**FAQ**
**What impact do the recent departures have on Paul Weiss?**
The recent departures of high-profile litigation partners may challenge Paul Weiss’s identity and balance between its corporate and litigation practices, potentially affecting its reputation and client relationships.
