Legal Profession and Accountability

Paul Weiss chairman Brad Karp stepped down after the DOJ’s release of Jeffrey Epstein-related files revealed emails documenting ongoing social contacts with Epstein, though the firm said he will remain at Paul, Weiss as a practicing partner. The newly released messages include a 2015 thank-you note calling an evening "once in a lifetime," Epstein offering to connect Karp with Larry Summers, 2016 requests to help link Karp’s son with Woody Allen, and a 2018 dinner exchange; Paul Weiss’s statement did not mention Epstein and Karp said he resigned because the reporting had become a distraction, part of broader fallout from the file release.