Chairman of High-Powered Paul Weiss Law Firm Resigns Following Epstein Files Appearances

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

The chairman of top corporate law firm Paul Weiss has resigned his position after his embarrassing emails with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein were revealed in the latest Department of Justice file dump.

Brad Karp, who served as chairman for 18 years, did not specifically cite the Epstein files for stepping down from the role, but said in a statement, “Recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm.”

Karp will remain at the firm, continuing “to focus his full-time attention to client service at the firm,” the statement said.

The files revealed that Karp had been a guest at Epstein’s New York mansion “and had exchanged emails with him on a number of occasions,” according to The New York Times.

The Times report continued:

Mr. Karp had come to know Mr. Epstein largely through his legal work for the billionaire Leon Black, a co-founder of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management. Mr. Black paid Mr. Epstein nearly $170 million for tax and estate planning advice, and his business and social dealings with Mr. Epstein have long been a source of controversy.

But the emails revealed that Mr. Karp had socialized with Mr. Epstein and, at one point, had asked Mr. Epstein for help landing his son a job on a Woody Allen movie.

After attending a dinner that included Mr. Allen at Mr. Epstein’s Manhattan mansion in 2015, Mr. Karp sent Mr. Epstein an email thanking him for “an evening I’ll never forget.” He also called Mr. Epstein “an extraordinary host” and told him that he was “amazing.”

Once Karp’s name was revealed, some of the firm’s lawyers “privately expressed anger and embarrassment about the emails,” The Times reported.

“Some Paul Weiss lawyers were also upset that Mr. Karp had received an email in which Mr. Epstein suggested that Mr. Black retain a private investigator to surveil a former mistress,” the report said.

Last spring, Karp helped reach a controversial deal with Donald Trump over an executive order calling for the end of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies at the law firm.

In exchange for Trump withdrawing the order, Paul Weiss agreed to perform $40 million in pro bono work for the Trump administration.

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