Epstein emails lead Karp to resign as Paul Weiss leader

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By Sara Merken

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Epstein emails lead Brad Karp to resign as Paul Weiss law firm chairman

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Brad Karp, longtime chairman of the powerful Wall Street law firm Paul Weiss, resigned from his top leadership role after a series of emails revealed his extensive interactions with the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Karp was replaced by partner Scott Barshay, head of the corporate department, who has advised on blockbuster deals including Anheuser-Busch InBev's $107 billion takeover of SABMiller and Chevron's $55 billion acquisition of Hess, the firm said late yesterday.

In a statement released by Paul Weiss, Karp said, "recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm." He will remain at the firm focused on serving clients, the firm said. He did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

Karp came under scrutiny after emails released by the DOJ on Friday revealed his longstanding personal and business communications with Epstein, including months before authorities arrested the financier on sex trafficking charges in July 2019. Paul Weiss had said on Tuesday that Karp "regrets" his interactions with Epstein. Karp has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Read more from Mike Spector and Mike Scarcella.

Industry updates

Career tracker

In New York: Ropes & Gray added Rachel Strickland as global chair of restructuring and partners Daniel Forman, Andrew Mordkoff and Andrew Minear from Fried Frank … Investment management partner Aaron Schlaphoff joined Davis Polk from Paul Weiss … Womble Bond Dickinson hired consumer financial services partner Andrew Wein from McGlinchey Stafford … DLA Piper added Katie McShane from Cadwalader as head of east coast fund finance … Sullivan & Cromwell picked up financial services and national security partner Zachary Goldman from WilmerHale … Smith, Gambrell & Russell brought on privacy and cybersecurity partner Catherine Castaldo from Reed Smith … Haynes Boone tapped white collar partner Seth Farber from Winston & Strawn.

In D.C.: K&L Gates brought on former SEC official Thoreau Bartmann … Paul Weiss tapped antitrust partner Jesse Solomon from Davis Polk … King & Spalding hired Corey Amundson, former chief of the DOJ's public integrity section … ArentFox Schiff hired partner Nichole Shustack from Nutter … Steptoe added trade remedies partner Ron Kendler from White & Case … Former CFPB lawyer Teresa Kosmidis moved to McDermott … Squire Patton Boggs picked up corporate partner Cedric Powell from Sheppard Mullin and added antitrust partner Lauren Briggerman from Miller & Chevalier.

In Seattle: Clyde & Co entered the market through a merger with Forsberg & Umlauf … McGuireWoods launched an office with a team of partners from Perkins Coie, including partner Rike Connelly … Emerging companies partners Lee Schindler and Jamie Nicole Johnson jumped to Cooley, also from Perkins Coie.

In Houston: Paul Weiss is opening an office with M&A partners Sean Wheeler and Debbie Yee from Kirkland … Baker Botts added Cody Carper as oil and gas co-chair from Weil … Private funds partner Ivana Rouse joined Sidley from Latham … Husch Blackwell picked up consumer financial services partner Matt Manning from McGlinchey Stafford … Kilpatrick hired construction energy partner Barclay Nicholson from Sheppard Mullin.

In Los Angeles: U.S. Supreme Court litigator Jeffrey Fisher left O'Melveny for Hecker Fink … Willkie brought on Tamerlin Godley as entertainment litigation practice chair from Paul Hastings … Latham added emerging companies partner Steven Dunst from Cooley … Katten hired private credit partner Mohammed Alvi from Paul Weiss and brought back securities litigation partner Richard Zelichov from DLA Piper … Blank Rome added former Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell hospitality partners Jim Butler, David Sudeck, Mark Adams, Jeff Myers, and Joe Mellema.

In London: Jones Day brought on infrastructure partners Caroline Gregson from Osborne Clarke and Nath Curtis from Gowling WLG … Reed Smith hired corporate partner David Brennan from Gowling WLG.

In Chicago: Thompson Hine added securities litigation partners Alan Wolper, Heidi VonderHeide and Nathan Lamb from UB Greensfelder … Winston & Strawn picked up finance partner David Love from Kirkland … Alston & Bird hired healthcare regulatory partner Asher Funk from Goodwin … M&A and private equity partner Timothy FitzSimons joined Sidley from King & Spalding.

Across other cities: King & Spalding brought on nine former Winston & Strawn litigation partners in Dallas, Charlotte and D.C. … Hinshaw & Culbertson added 16 lawyers from McGlinchey Stafford in seven locations … Former Virginia chief deputy attorney general Steven Popps returned to McGuireWoods in Richmond … IP litigation partner Jay Neukom joined Davis Polk in Northern California from Debevoise … Private investment funds partner Malcolm Nicholls rejoined Proskauer in Boston from Gunderson Dettmer … Spencer Fane expanded to New Orleans with Christopher Ralston from Phelps Dunbar … Honigman added Israel-based partners Arik Hirschfeld from Paul Weiss and Daniel Kessler from Seyfarth.

Contact

Sara Merken

sara.merken@thomsonreuters.com

@saramerken

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