In the towering glass offices of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison—one of Wall Street’s most formidable law firms—Brad Karp, the iron-fisted chairman since 2008, stared at the damning emails now flooding public view. The Justice Department’s latest Epstein file dump exposed dozens of exchanges: fawning thanks for a “once in a lifetime” dinner at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse with Woody Allen, requests to hook his son up for a job on a Woody Allen film set, and effusive praise like calling Epstein “amazing”—all while Karp represented Apollo’s Leon Black in fee disputes against the convicted sex offender, maintaining contact well into 2019, months before Epstein’s arrest and death.
The revelations ignited fury among senior partners, who feared the ties ran deeper than previously known and threatened the firm’s reputation. In a swift, stunned announcement, Karp resigned as chairman, declaring the scrutiny had become a “distraction” no longer beneficial for the firm. He stays on as a partner after 40 years, but the power shift to successor Scott Barshay marks a seismic fall for a legal titan once untouchable.
As the Epstein tsunami rages into elite legal circles, this resignation from one of America’s most influential firms begs the chilling question: how many more power brokers will crumble under the weight of these exposed secrets?
In the towering glass offices of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison—one of Wall Street’s most formidable law firms—Brad Karp, the iron-fisted chairman since 2008, confronted a crisis that threatened to dismantle his long-held authority. The U.S. Department of Justice’s latest release of Jeffrey Epstein documents in late January and early February 2026 exposed dozens of emails and messages detailing Karp’s interactions with the convicted sex offender, extending well into 2019—months before Epstein’s arrest and death that summer.
The correspondence, part of the massive “Epstein files” trove, revealed a mix of professional and social ties. Karp, who represented Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon Black in fee disputes involving Epstein, attended group dinners at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, including one in July 2015 that he described as a “once in a lifetime” evening he would “never forget,” expressing hopes for future invitations. In 2016, Karp sought Epstein’s assistance in connecting his son—who was interested in filmmaking—to Woody Allen for a potential job or meeting on a film set. Other exchanges included effusive praise, with Karp reportedly calling Epstein “amazing” in messages, and discussions touching on various matters amid ongoing scandals involving figures like Harvey Weinstein and Charlie Rose.
Paul Weiss emphasized that the firm never represented Epstein personally, and Karp “never witnessed or participated in any misconduct.” The lawyer expressed regret for the interactions, describing them as limited social encounters stemming from his client work for Black. No evidence in the files directly implicates Karp in Epstein’s criminal activities.
The revelations sparked intense internal pressure at the firm, where senior partners grew concerned that the ties appeared deeper than previously understood, risking reputational harm to one of America’s premier corporate law practices. On February 4, 2026, Karp abruptly resigned as chairman. In a firm statement, he described leading Paul Weiss for 18 years as “the honor of my professional life,” but noted that “recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm.” He stepped down from leadership but remained a partner after four decades at the firm, continuing to advise clients and share in its profits.
The transition was swift: Scott Barshay, the firm’s top mergers-and-acquisitions partner and a key rainmaker, was appointed as the new chairman, ensuring operational continuity amid the upheaval.
Karp’s resignation marks yet another prominent casualty in the 2026 “Epstein tsunami.” The DOJ’s disclosures of millions of pages have continued to expose enduring connections between Epstein and elites in finance, law, politics, and beyond, prompting resignations, public apologies, and scrutiny of associations that persisted long after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. For Karp—a once-untouchable power broker known for navigating high-stakes corporate and political landscapes—the episode represents a stark erosion of influence, as past associations, once compartmentalized, now trigger swift accountability in an environment of radical transparency.
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