Paul Weiss Revolt Ends Brad Karp’s 18-Year Reign After Epstein Emails Surface #PedoFiles
Epstein emails spark internal revolt at Paul Weiss, forcing out longtime chairman Brad Karp after partners decide the baggage is too heavy #PedoFiles
Brad Karp’s nearly two-decade run atop elite law firm Paul Weiss ended abruptly after partners concluded newly released Jeffrey Epstein emails were an unmanageable liability.
A quiet, unscheduled meeting of the firm’s inner circle—known internally as the “Deciding Group”—sealed Karp’s fate after emails suggested a deeper, longer relationship with Epstein than partners had understood, including contact in the months before Epstein’s death. By the end of the discussion, the group decided the controversy had become a distraction the firm couldn’t outrun.
Karp, who led Paul Weiss for 18 years, was told late Wednesday that he needed to step aside as chairman. Delivering the message was Scott Barshay, the firm’s top dealmaker—and Karp’s own handpicked hire from Cravath—who will now take over the role.
The flashpoint was a fresh tranche of Epstein emails detailing years of social contact, including dinners at Epstein’s mansion and family attendance at private film screenings. Particularly troubling to some partners were 2019 emails that appeared to show Karp reviewing a draft court filing for Jeffrey Epstein during a plea-deal dispute shortly before Epstein’s death.
In response to the disclosures, a Paul Weiss spokesman said: “Mr. Karp never witnessed or participated in any misconduct. Mr. Karp attended two group dinners in New York City and had a small number of social interactions by email, all of which he regrets.” Karp, 66, will remain at the firm as a partner, keep his client roster—including Apollo Global Management and the NFL—and relocate to a nearby office when the firm moves to its new Midtown headquarters.
Source: The Wall Street Journal (free)
Editor: Elite law firms sell judgment for seven figures an hour—so it’s hard to argue this was bad luck. When your name keeps showing up in Epstein emails, “distraction” is just the polite word for reputational math finally catching up.