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They are leaving a few months after Paul Weiss cut a deal with the White House to avoid an executive order that would have restricted its business.
May 23, 2025Updated 6:02 p.m. ET
Four top partners at Paul Weiss announced late Friday that they were leaving the law firm, a major blow to the firm in the wake of its decision to cut a deal with President Trump to head off an executive order that would have restricted its business.
The partners — Karen Dunn, Bill Isaacson, Jeannie Rhee and Jessica Phillips — will form their own law firm.
“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,” the lawyers said in an email message to the firm late Friday afternoon.
Ms. Dunn is a prominent Democratic lawyer, having overseen debate preparation for former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during their presidential campaigns. She has also been a key partner at Paul Weiss, representing Alphabet, Apple, Uber and Amazon.
Ms. Rhee served as a top prosecutor in Robert S. Mueller III’s special counsel investigation and oversaw the firm’s Washington office.
Mr. Isaacson is considered one of the country’s top antitrust lawyers. Ms. Phillips clerked for Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. of the Supreme Court.
Since the firm’s chairman, Brad Karp, reached the deal with Mr. Trump in March, Paul Weiss has been widely criticized by its own associates, lawyers at other firms and Democrats for capitulating to the president.
“It has been an honor to work alongside such talented lawyers and to call so many of you our friends,” the lawyers said in the email. “We hope to continue to collaborate with all of you in the years to come and are incredibly grateful for your warm and generous partnership.”
In a statement on Friday, Mr. Karp said: “We are grateful to Bill, Jeannie, Jessica and Karen for their many contributions to the firm. We wish them well in their future endeavors.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Michael S. Schmidt is an investigative reporter for The Times covering Washington. His work focuses on tracking and explaining high-profile federal investigations.
Jessica Silver-Greenberg is a Times investigative reporter writing about big business with a focus on health care. She has been a reporter for more than a decade.
Matthew Goldstein is a Times reporter who covers Wall Street and white-collar crime and housing issues.
