Overview

• Four senior partners—Karen Dunn, Bill Isaacson, Jeannie Rhee, and Jessica Phillips—have left Paul Weiss to start a new law firm.
• Their decision comes after Paul Weiss agreed in March to a $40 million pro bono deal with the Trump administration to lift an executive order targeting the firm.
• The settlement has drawn criticism for undermining legal independence, with prominent attorney Mark Zaid calling it a capitulation that harms the rule of law.
• Eight other law firms have negotiated similar agreements with the Trump administration, while several firms have pursued lawsuits challenging the executive orders.
• Federal judges have issued injunctions against key provisions of the orders, intensifying scrutiny of the administration's use of executive power against legal adversaries.