Brad Karp stepped down as chairman of the powerhouse corporate law firm Paul Weiss on Wednesday, following renewed scrutiny over emails exchanged between him and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that recently became public.
The disclosure triggered swift backlash and put fresh pressure on the firm, ultimately leading to Karp’s resignation.
“Leading Paul, Weiss for the past 18 years has been the honor of my professional life,” Karp said in a statement.
“Recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm.”
Karp, who has held the chairman role since 2008, will stay on at Paul Weiss. In a statement, the firm said he will continue working full time and remain focused on serving clients.
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Paul Weiss said Scott Barshay, who previously led the firm’s corporate department, has been named chairman with immediate effect.
Karp has spent more than 40 years at the firm. His decision to step down as chairman came two days after Paul Weiss disclosed that “Mr. Karp attended two group dinners in New York City and had a small number of social interactions by email [with Epstein,] all of which he regrets.”
Those emails were part of a trove of millions of Epstein-related documents released last week by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Bloomberg reported that one of the emails showed Karp asking Epstein to help his son find work on a Woody Allen film.
Responding to the Bloomberg report, Paul Weiss said, “Paul Weiss was retained by Leon Black, then the CEO of the firm’s longtime client Apollo, to negotiate a series of fee disputes with Jeffrey Epstein that spanned several years.”
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“The firm was adverse to Epstein, and at no point did Paul Weiss or Brad Karp ever represent him,” the firm added.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the firm’s new chairman Scott Barshay praised Karp’s legacy, saying he made “immense contributions” during his time leading Paul Weiss.
“As Chairman of the firm, he transformed Paul, Weiss in an unprecedented way to the great benefit of our clients,” Barshay said.
“We are grateful to him for his extraordinary dedication and service over his many years as Chairman.”
Karp had also drawn attention in March 2025 after approving a controversial deal under which the firm agreed to provide $40 million in pro bono legal services for causes backed by President Donald Trump. In exchange, Trump withdrew an executive order he had previously issued that targeted the firm.