Prominent law firm head Paul Weiss resigns after emails linking him to Epstein are published

Brad Karp, the head of one of the nation’s most prestigious law firms, resigned from his position after the publication of emails revealing his exchanges with Jeffrey Epstein, a landmark departure in the fallout among those with ties to the late convicted sex offender.

Read more: The Epstein files reveal close ties to Trump’s influential inner circle

A statement issued Wednesday from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison did not explicitly mention any relationship Karp had with Epstein, whom the firm said it never represented. But Karp, who will remain at the company where he worked for 40 years and has served as chairman since 2008, said that “recent reports have created a distraction and focused on me which is not in the best interest” of Paul Weiss.

The Justice Department last week released the largest batch of documents yet from the Epstein investigative files in compliance with a new law aimed at revealing what the government knew about the millionaire financier’s sexual abuse of young girls, as well as his interactions with the wealthy and powerful.

Read more: A list of powerful men named in the Epstein files, from Elon Musk to former Prince Andrew

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed to testify before a House committee investigating the Epstein case after Republicans pushed for contempt of Congress charges against them. Bill Clinton, like a number of other powerful men, including President Donald Trump, had a well-documented relationship with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Neither Trump nor Clinton have been credibly accused of wrongdoing in their dealings with the late financier.

The repercussions have spread beyond the United States. A senior official in Slovakia resigned after photos and emails revealed he met with Epstein in the years after Epstein was released from prison, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued an apology for appointing an ambassador to Washington who had ties to Epstein.

Among the newly disclosed documents is an email dated July 22, 2015, in which Karp thanked Epstein for hosting an evening that the lawyer said was “once in a lifetime” and one he would never forget. Epstein responded by saying that Karp was “always welcome,” adding, “There are many nights for unique talent. You will be invited often.”

Read more: The government says it is working to fix thousands of documents in files related to Epstein that may contain information about the victim

Later that day, Epstein told Karp that he wanted to connect him with Larry Summers, whom he described as “funny and warm.” Summers is a former Treasury Secretary and Harvard University president who was ostracized from a number of organizations after previously released Epstein files showed his close relationship with Epstein.

In 2016, Karp, trying to help his son, who was interested in a film career, reached out to Epstein in hopes of connecting with Woody Allen. Karp’s son sent several follow-up messages to Epstein, but it was not clear whether there were further communications between them. In 2018, Karp was invited to have dinner with Epstein. Karp said he could arrange for a car to be taken outside to take him back to his office for a video call, before rejoining dinner.

“I’m easy,” Epstein said, suggesting arrangements. “I know you are,” Karp replied.

Letters continued between the two over the years.

In February 2019, Karp sent an email to Epstein seeking advice on behalf of John Havens, the former Citigroup chairman who, according to Karp’s letter, needed “immediate assistance” before Havens’ name surfaced in what turned out to be an investigation into a Florida massage parlor.

Epstein also offered to help find a local attorney for New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in the matter, with Karp noting that Kraft needed “the best of the best.”

Both Kraft and Havens were among 300 men charged as patrons of massage parlors involved in prostitution.

He watches: Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir exposes abuse by powerful men

A month later, Karp was apparently reviewing a draft court filing in which Epstein’s lawyers argued that the plea deal in the decade-long federal sexual assault investigation in Florida should not be reopened.

“The draft proposal is in great shape. Very convincing. Truly,” Karp wrote in a March 3, 2019 email to Epstein, according to documents posted online by the Justice Department. “I particularly liked the argument that ‘victims’ were lurking and sitting on their rights for their own strategic benefit, knowing you were in prison, before they even filed a complaint.”

Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges in the case, served 13 months in prison, paid settlements to victims and became a registered sex offender.

Paul Weiss was founded in 1875. This celebrated New York firm advanced the cause of civil rights, handled the legal affairs of corporate power brokers, and grew into a multibillion-dollar global enterprise.

In his return to the White House, Trump sought to retaliate against companies whose lawyers did legal work he disagreed with. Paul Weiss was among the targets. In March 2025, the Republican president issued an executive order threatening to suspend the security clearances of the company’s lawyers as well as terminate any federal contracts related to the company.

He watches: Partners at prominent law firms are urging employers to withstand Trump’s pressure

The order indicated that Paul Weiss’s former lawyer, Mark Pomerantz, was a key player in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s investigation into Trump’s finances before Trump became president.

Karp was initially prepared to file a lawsuit over the matter, saying his company “would not be able to survive a protracted dispute with management.” Karp later cut a deal with Trump, saying he did so to save the company. Lawyers outside Paul Weiss mocked the move, and more than 140 of the firm’s alumni signed a letter attacking it as well.