Latest news with #TheAmericanLawyer
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Top lawyers exit Paul, Weiss law firm after Trump deal
Attorneys Karen Dunn, left, and Jeannie Rhee, two of the four top partners who have announced that they are leaving the Paul Weiss law firm (Image Credit: NYT News Service) A leading Democratic attorney and three senior partners are departing from Paul, Weiss to establish their legal practice, according to the Politico. These exits follow two months after Paul, Weiss arranged an agreement with the White House, pledging $40 million in pro-bono legal services for Trump-supported causes, in exchange for withdrawing an executive order that the firm's Chair Brad Karp indicated could have been devastating for their organisation. The departing group includes Karen Dunn, former co-chair of the firm's litigation division, who has assisted Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates with debate preparation since 2008. Jeannie Rhee, who served in the Justice Department during Obama's administration and previously defended Hillary Clinton in her private email server case before joining Robert Mueller's investigation team, is also leaving. The group also includes Jessica Phillips, known for representing major technology firms in court, and William Isaacson, a distinguished trial lawyer previously recognised as litigator of the year by The American Lawyer. "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," Dunn wrote in a goodbye email sent to the firm's partners. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like One of the Most Successful Investors of All Time, Warren Buffett, Recommends: 5 Books for Turning... Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Click Here Undo "It has been an honor to work alongside such talented lawyers and to call so many of you our friends. 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. " The executive order, which referenced the firm's connection to a lawyer who had investigated Trump for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, restricted the firm's access to government contracts, limited their lawyers' interactions with officials, and threatened to bar Paul Weiss attorneys from government buildings. Federal judges have declared similar directives against Perkins Coie and Jenner & Block unconstitutional. WilmerHale and Susman Godfrey have filed lawsuits challenging comparable executive orders, with decisions still pending. However, Paul Weiss and other prestigious law firms negotiated agreements to improve relations with Trump. "Paul Weiss is grateful to Bill, Jeannie, Jessica and Karen for their many contributions. We wish them well in all their future endeavors," the firm said in a statement.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Four major partners exit Paul, Weiss after Trump deal
A prominent Democratic lawyer and three other major partners are leaving the law firm Paul, Weiss to start their own firm, according to an email obtained by POLITICO. The departures come two months after Paul, Weiss entered a deal with the White House to provide $40 million in pro-bono legal work to causes supported by President Donald Trump in exchange for the removal of an executive order that firm Chair Brad Karp said 'could easily have destroyed our firm.' The departures include Karen Dunn, who co-chaired the firm's litigation department and has helped Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates prepare for debates in every election since 2008. Also leaving the firm is Jeannie Rhee, a former Obama-era Justice Department official who previously represented Hillary Clinton in a lawsuit regarding her use of a private email server and later joined special counsel Robert Mueller's investigative team. Rounding out the departures are Jessica Phillips, who has represented some of the nation's largest technology companies in court, and William Isaacson, another high-profile trial lawyer once named litigator of the year by The American Lawyer. '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,' Dunn wrote in a goodbye email sent to the firm's partners. 'It has been an honor to work alongside such talented lawyers and to call so many of you our friends. 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.' Citing the firm's association with a lawyer who previously investigated Trump for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the executive order cut the firm and its clients off from government contracts, limited the ability of its lawyers to interact with government officials and even threatened to restrict Paul Weiss, attorneys from government buildings. Two federal judges have ruled similar orders against law firms Perkins Coie and Jenner & Block unconstitutional. Two additional firms, WilmerHale and Susman Godfrey, have also sued over similar executive orders and final rulings are pending in those cases. But Paul Weiss and other elite law firms struck deals to try to get in Trump's good graces. 'Paul Weiss is grateful to Bill, Jeannie, Jessica and Karen for their many contributions. We wish them well in all their future endeavors,' the firm said in a statement.
Politico
24-05-2025
- Business
- Politico
Four major partners exit Paul, Weiss after Trump deal
A prominent Democratic lawyer and three other major partners are leaving the law firm Paul, Weiss to start their own firm, according to an email obtained by POLITICO. The departures come two months after Paul, Weiss entered a deal with the White House to provide $40 million in pro-bono legal work to causes supported by President Donald Trump in exchange for the removal of an executive order that firm Chair Brad Karp said 'could easily have destroyed our firm.' The departures include Karen Dunn, who co-chaired the firm's litigation department and has helped Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates prepare for debates in every election since 2008. Also leaving the firm is Jeannie Rhee, a former Obama-era Justice Department official who previously represented Hillary Clinton in a lawsuit regarding her use of a private email server and later joined special counsel Robert Mueller's investigative team. Rounding out the departures are Jessica Phillips, who has represented some of the nation's largest technology companies in court, and William Isaacson, another high-profile trial lawyer once named litigator of the year by The American Lawyer. '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,' Dunn wrote in a goodbye email sent to the firm's partners. 'It has been an honor to work alongside such talented lawyers and to call so many of you our friends. 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.' Citing the firm's association with a lawyer who previously investigated Trump for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the executive order cut the firm and its clients off from government contracts, limited the ability of its lawyers to interact with government officials and even threatened to restrict Paul Weiss, attorneys from government buildings. Two federal judges have ruled similar orders against law firms Perkins Coie and Jenner & Block unconstitutional. Two additional firms, WilmerHale and Susman Godfrey, have also sued over similar executive orders and final rulings are pending in those cases. But Paul Weiss and other elite law firms struck deals to try to get in Trump's good graces. 'Paul Weiss is grateful to Bill, Jeannie, Jessica and Karen for their many contributions. We wish them well in all their future endeavors,' the firm said in a statement.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
504 Law Firms Sign Amicus Brief Backing Lawsuit Against Trump's Executive Order
The legal community is banding together to show their support for Perkins Coie's lawsuit against the Trump administration. The New York Times reported on Friday that more than 500 firms signed an amicus brief outlining why the president's targeting of law firms to do his bidding is 'a grave threat to our system of constitutional governance and to the rule of law itself.' A total of 504 companies signed the brief, though none of the nation's 20 largest firms were among them. After Trump slapped an executive order on Perkins Coie, threatening its business, the firm sued. A handful of others have as well, while some firms have opted to cave to Trump's demands for pro bono work, among other things. Nearly 10 firms on The American Lawyer's list of the 100 most profitable ones ended up signing, according to the Times, which reported that some firms' decisions not to sign didn't mean they opposed it in principle. Rather, some allegedly feared that signing would only make them a target for the president, and therefore cost them clients. The brief, drawn up by Donald Verrilli, a solicitor general during the Obama administration, and Chicago lawyer Nathan Eimer, warned about Trump's continued threats against the legal community. 'Unless the judiciary acts decisively now, what was once beyond the pale will in short order become a stark reality,' it said. 'Corporations and individuals alike will risk losing their right to be represented by the law firms of their choice and a profound chill will be cast over the First Amendment right to petition the courts for redress.'
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump adds another firm, WilmerHale, to his Big Law vendetta
Trump signed an executive order Thursday targeting law firm WilmerHale. WilmerHale is linked to Trump's adversaries and past efforts to investigate his election campaigns. The firm, like others named in Trump's orders, has worked on lawsuits that challenged key administration policies. In continuation of an ongoing campaign against Big Law, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday taking aim at WilmerHale, a law firm linked to his political adversaries that led past investigations into his administration. The order suspends security clearances for WilmerHale employees, limits their access to federal buildings, and revokes the firm's government contracts, for what Trump described in his order as engaging in "partisan representations to achieve political ends" and "efforts to discriminate on the basis of race." WilmerHale has a team of over 1,100 lawyers across 12 offices in the US and Europe. In 2023, it was ranked as the 45th largest law firm in the country which generated nearly $1.5 billion in revenue, according to The American Lawyer. A White House fact sheet about the order accused WilmerHale of "rewarding" former FBI Director Robert Mueller and two colleagues with positions at the firm for what it called "a partisan 'investigation' against the President and others." Muller, a former Marine Corps officer in Vietnam and the FBI Director in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, had spearheaded a special counsel investigation into Russian interference in Trump's 2016 election. The investigation ultimately found insufficient evidence of a link. Muller was a WilmerHale partner before the probe and rejoined it after. He is not listed on the firm's website. The executive order follows similar actions against legal powerhouses such as Jenner & Block, Perkins Coie, and Covington & Burling. Trump previously rescinded an order targeting Paul Weiss after the firm agreed to allocate $40 million in pro bono legal work aligned with his administration's priorities. A memo from Trump issued on March 22 titled "Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Court" also authorized Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to sanction law firms that file lawsuits they deem "frivolous" or "vexatious." A spokesperson of WilmerHale told Business Insider that the firm has a "longstanding tradition of representing a wide range of clients, including in matters against administrations of both parties," and that they "look forward to pursuing all appropriate remedies to this unlawful order." WilmerHale is among the prominent law firms representing clients in lawsuits that challenge key Trump administration policies. The firm had also filed an amicus brief in January 2024 that called Trump's attempt to gain immunity in connection to his criminal prosecution for alleged election interference "inconsistent with our Constitution." Chris Mattei, an attorney at Connecticut-based law firm Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder and a former federal prosecutor, said the spree of orders is a constitutional threat. "If lawyers abandon our duty to protect the rights of those who are targeted by the Government, our democracy will fall," Mattei told BI in an email. The White House did not respond to BI's request for comment. Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at katherineli@ or Signal at katherineli.21 or WhatsApp at 510-365-6496. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider
