Four Partners Exit Paul Weiss Amid Controversial Trump Deal, Plan to Launch New Law Firm

Karen Dunn, Bill Isaacson, Jeannie Rhee, and Jessica Phillips announced their departure in an internal email reviewed by Reuters, stating they are launching a new legal venture together. While the message expressed gratitude and admiration for their colleagues, it made no mention of Paul Weiss’ recent deal with Trump, which has raised eyebrows across the legal community.

Per Reuters, the firm in March pledged $40 million in pro bono legal work to support causes jointly selected with the Trump administration in exchange for lifting an executive order that had previously targeted Paul Weiss. The order, now rescinded, had limited the firm’s access to government officials and impacted its eligibility for federal contracting.

The agreement has reportedly spurred similar arrangements from at least eight other law firms, although not without legal challenges. As Reuters notes, several firms have taken the matter to court, arguing that the executive orders were punitive and infringed on their rights. On Friday, a federal judge nullified Trump’s order against Jenner & Block, following a similar decision earlier this month in favor of Perkins Coie.

In their farewell email, the four departing lawyers wrote: “We were disappointed not to be able to tell each of you personally and individually the news that we have decided to leave Paul, Weiss to start a new law firm. It has been an honor to work alongside such talented lawyers and to call so many of you our friends.”

Read more: Top Antitrust Expert Joins Cravath from Paul Weiss

Paul Weiss Chairman Brad Karp acknowledged the exits in a statement, saying, “We are grateful to Bill, Jeannie, Jessica and Karen for their many contributions to the firm.”

Dunn, who served as co-chair of the firm’s litigation department, is a well-known Democratic figure in Washington legal circles. Her previous roles include working in the Obama White House and preparing Senator Kamala Harris for debates during the 2024 presidential campaign. She also currently represents Google in a major antitrust case brought by the U.S. Justice Department concerning digital advertising practices.

Jeannie Rhee, who joined the firm in 2019, previously served as a prosecutor on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team during the investigation into alleged ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russian operatives.

Isaacson, a veteran in antitrust litigation, came to Paul Weiss in 2020 from Boies Schiller Flexner, along with both Dunn and Phillips.

While the exact motivations behind the departures remain unconfirmed, the timing—coinciding with the firm’s high-profile pact with Trump—has fueled speculation within legal and political circles. According to Reuters, no explicit connection between the agreement and the lawyers’ exit was mentioned in their communications, but the developments have nonetheless intensified scrutiny of the legal profession’s evolving relationship with political power.

Source: Reuters