We’ve known for a while that Biglaw firm Paul, Weiss and its chair Brad Karp appear in the Epstein files. The firm represents Apollo and its CEO Leon Black who worked extensively with Jeffrey Epstein. Black and Epstein had a fee dispute, and Paul, Weiss was involved in that negotiation.
And the firm’s statement about the the overlap between the prestigious firm and one of the most notorious pedophiles of all time has toed this line of “Hey! We’re just repping a client!”
“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,” Paul Weiss said in a statement. “The firm was adverse to Epstein, and at no point did Paul Weiss or Brad Karp ever represent him.”
And yet… The most recent release of files from the Epstein case reveals something more. From the snippets of the relationship contained in the Epstein files, the relationship doesn’t seem adversarial. “I can’t thank you enough for including me in an evening I’ll never forget,” Karp said to Epstein in a July 2015 email. “It was truly ‘once in a lifetime’ in every way, though I hope to be invited again.”
“You are always welcome,” Epstein responded. “There are many many nights of unique talents. You will be invited often.”
And Karp responds by calling Epstein “Amazing.”
Just a quick timeline check — at this point Epstein had already served time for procuring a child for prostitution and for soliciting a prostitute.
Bloomberg also reports on a July 2016 email in which Karp asks Epstein for help getting his son a job working on a Woody Allen film production. Indeed, the controversial director, who was accused of sexual abuse by Dylan Farrow (which he denies), played a repeated role in the Karp/Epstein relationship. As Daily Beast reports:
The documents also show that Allen played a prominent role in Karp’s relationship with Epstein.
Epstein’s assistant arranged for Karp and his children to attend a small film screening in New York in 2014, and for Karp’s son to attend screenings in 2016 and 2018.
That an… uncomfortable common interest to have had with Jeffrey Epstein.
Another July 2015 email shows Epstein asking Karp about revoking a woman’s visa. “Is it possible for your contacts to 1 get her current visa status ? 2. Is there a way, for us to file something that would revoke a tourist visa.”
Karp responded, “Both good ideas; will work on this.”
It is unclear who Epstein and Karp are referring to. However, the pair again discuss the deportation of a woman in August 2015, and connect it with alleged extortion attempts of Black. In 2015 extortion was again on the mind of Epstein, when partner Alan Halperin forwarded Epstein an article “Extortion Payments as Deductible Losses (and Not Gifts).” Epstein replied, “I know it well.”
And there are more Paul, Weiss attorneys in the latest trove of documents. Tax attorneys, estate planning attorneys… the work the firm did on behalf of Black seems to have overlapped with Epstein’s work quite a bit before the parties were on opposite sides.
That overlapping relationship between Epstein and Paul, Weiss means there are also documents that undercut the line that PW and Epstein were only ever adverse parties. There’s a 2014 email labeled privileged (in the subject line no less) by Halperin to Epstein. There’s another 2014 email between Epstein and Eileen Alexanderson of Black’s family office where Epstein asks who are “we” using to advise on a tax structure and Alexanderson responds with the names of two Paul Weiss attorneys Colin Kelly and Brad Okun.
While Epstein never directly hired Paul, Weiss, these emails show how slippery the relationship was.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.
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