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Four partners at Paul Weiss — including the high-profile Democratic attorney Karen Dunn — are departing the law firm, a spokesperson told TheNews, after for striking a deal with President Trump to avoid targeting by the federal government.
In addition to Dunn, Bill Isaacson, Jessica Phillips and Jeannie Rhee are leaving the 150-year-old firm.
"On behalf of the firm, Paul Weiss is grateful to Bill, Jeannie, Jessica and Karen for their many contributions. We wish them well in all their future endeavors," the spokesperson said.
It's not clear if the four attorneys' departures from Paul Weiss are related to the firm's agreement with Mr. Trump.
Dunn co-chaired Paul Weiss's litigation department, where she is known for representing high-profile clients like . She's also known for her longstanding role in Democratic politics, and has for Democratic candidates for over a decade — including for former last year, The New York Times reported.
Rhee — who served as managing partner of Paul Weiss's office in Washington, D.C. — on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team investigating possible Russian interference in the 2016 election. Isaacson and Phillips served as litigators at the firm, according to their bios on Paul Weiss's website.
TheNews has reached out to the four departing attorneys for comment.
Earlier this year, Mr. Trump Paul Weiss with an executive order that sharply limited how the firm could interact with the government, seeking to revoke staff members' security clearances and cut off any federal contracts. The move was part of a wider gambit to punish the president's foes in the legal community, which he claims have "played an outsized role in undermining the judicial process and in the destruction of bedrock American principles."
The president's executive order criticized Paul Weiss for employing Mark Pomerantz, who previously worked on the team of Manhattan prosecutors that investigated Mr. Trump. It also took aim at the firm — and Rhee — for involving the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and criticized Paul Weiss' diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
But that order was later rescinded by Mr. Trump, who Paul Weiss had agreed to a litany of compromises, like auditing its hiring practices and dedicating $40 million to pro bono legal services on causes that both the firm and the Trump administration agree upon.
The apparent deal between the president and Paul Weiss — along with similar deals struck by other law firms threatened by Mr. Trump — in the legal community.
Some other law firms the administration, arguing the orders were unconstitutional. Judges have struck down Mr. Trump's orders against the firms and — with one federal judge on Friday saying Mr. Trump's Jenner & Block order was unconstitutional and resembled a "screed" at some points.
