What Brad Karp Told Paul Weiss Staff Over The Trump Crisis

On March 23, 2025, Paul Weiss Chairman Brad Karp sent a firm-wide email addressing the recent crisis triggered by a presidential executive order that threatened the firm’s existence.

Legal blogger David Lat published the full memo in his Original Jurisdiction newsletter.

In his message, Karp explained how the firm navigated this existential threat and reached a resolution with the Trump Administration that allowed Paul Weiss to continue operating without compromising its core values.

The order against Paul Weiss specifically cited the firm’s connection to Mark Pomerantz, a former partner who had been involved in investigations into the President’s activities.

The resolution reached between the firm and the Administration sparked intense debate within the legal profession, including from LawFuel, with critics seeing the agreement as a capitulation to political pressure, while others recognized it as a necessary step to ensure the firm’s survival in an unprecedented situation.

The deal included commitments from Paul Weiss to review its employment practices and refrain from implementing certain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Karp acknowledged the discomfort some may feel about the resolution but stressed that the firm faced an unprecedented threat that required difficult decisions to protect both client interests and the livelihoods of 2,500 employees.

Only several days ago, our firm faced an existential crisis. The executive order could easily have destroyed our firm. It brought the full weight of the government down on our firm, our people, and our clients. In particular, it threatened our clients with the loss of their government contracts, and the loss of access to the government, if they continued to use the firm as their lawyers. And in an obvious effort to target all of you as well as the firm, it raised the specter that the government would not hire our employees.

We were hopeful that the legal industry would rally to our side, even though it had not done so in response to executive orders targeting other firms. We had tried to persuade other firms to come out in public support of Covington and Perkins Coie. And we waited for firms to support us in the wake of the President’s executive order targeting Paul, Weiss. Disappointingly, far from support, we learned that certain other firms were seeking to exploit our vulnerabilities by aggressively soliciting our clients and recruiting our attorneys. – Brad Karp

Key Points from Karp’s Email

• >> On March 14, 2025, the President issued an executive order specifically targeting Paul Weiss, threatening clients with loss of government contracts if they continued using the firm
• >> The firm prepared to challenge the order in court but realized that even a legal victory wouldn’t solve the fundamental problem of being perceived as “persona non grata” with the Administration
• >> Paul Weiss negotiated a settlement with the Administration that included:
  1. Reiterating commitment to viewpoint diversity
  2. Following the law regarding employment practices while maintaining commitment to diversity
  3. Committing $10 million annually for four years to pro bono work in veterans’ assistance, countering anti-Semitism, and promoting justice system fairness
• >> Karp reported “overwhelming support” from clients, with thousands reaching out to express continued confidence in the firm
• >> He emphasized that Paul Weiss will maintain its 150-year legacy of standing up for fundamental rights and supporting vulnerable individuals.