Four Paul, Weiss attorneys leave law firm after it caved to Trump administration

Four top partners at Paul, Weiss announced Friday that they were leaving the company for a new opportunity, which comes after the company reached a deal with President Donald Trump to avoid penalties from an executive order. 

Trump rescinded the order in March after the law firm agreed to provide $40 million in pro bono work on causes backed by the administration, and promised not to deny representation to clients based on political views or use any diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

Attorneys Bill Isaacson, Jeannie Rhee, Jessica Phillips and Karen Dunn, who are known and respected for representing clients such as Alphabet, Amazon and Apple, will be creating their own law firm instead. 

“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 partners wrote in an email, per the New York Times. 

The attorneys did not state that the reason they were leaving was because of the deal, but Dunn helped oversee debate preparation for some of Trump's political opponents, and Rhee was a top prosecutor in Robert Mueller III’s special counsel investigation.

“It has been an honor to work alongside such talented lawyers and to call so many of you our friends,” the lawyers wrote. “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 company's chairman Brad Karp, who is responsible for reaching the deal with Trump, said he was "grateful" to the partners for their "many contributions to the firm."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.