He will be replaced by Scott Barshay
Brad Karp has resigned as the chairperson of US firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP following the reveal of his links to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, reported the American Bar Association Journal.
The US justice department had released emails revealing that Karp and Epstein were in contact until the year of Epstein’s death in 2019, CNN reported. In a June 2016 exchange, Karp asked Epstein to help his son get a role in a Woody Allen film.
Karp and Epstein also reportedly discussed sexual misconduct claims against former PBS talk show host Charlie Rose and disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein. Moreover, Karp referenced his attendance at an event hosted by Epstein in a 2015 email.
In a statement published by the Wall Street Journal, a Paul Weiss spokesperson said that 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,” the spokesperson said.
The firm confirmed that Karp would remain at Paul Weiss as a practitioner. He has been withthe firm since the start of his legal career about 40 years previously.
Karp said in a statement released by Paul Weiss that his decision to resign from the firm’s leadership was spurred by “recent reporting” that had “created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm.”
Karp will be replaced by Scott Barshay, who had led the firm’s corporate department as chair. Karp had been Paul Weiss' chair for 18 years, having been appointed to the role in 2008.
Last year, Paul Weiss lost four of its partners after Karp struck a deal with US president Donald Trump to commit US$40 million worth of pro bono legal work to the US administration in exchange for Trump lifting an executive order targeting the firm.
