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  Ever since Paul, Weiss was parachuted in by Fox in 2016 to investigate allegations of misconduct those kinds of investigations have become a major practice niche for law firms.  But early in the game there have been questions about how objective those probes are. For example, does the corporation give the marching orders to the law firm to be prosecutorial in how it frames the investigation? Also, there has been ongoing scrutiny of Dechert's 2021 investigation of Apollo co-founder Leon Black's payment of $158 million to Jeffrey Epstein. Now, the very credibility of such probes has been under a global microscope. That has been triggered by the investigations of KPMG by law firms Allens and Ashursts.  There had been a whistleblower complaint of misuse of confidential client data. How the law firms went about their investigation is under scrutiny. What issues did they pursue and which did they not pursue? Was justice shortchanged? Law Fuel reports: " ...  both...

Law firm Paul, Weiss took a major hit as UK law firm Linklaters poached two FIFA top lawyers. FIFA  is the Federation Internationale de Football Association, the global self-regulatory governing body for sports such as association football, soccer and futsal. From way back in 1930 it has organized the World Cub. This might be called The British Invasion. For a while UK Magic Circle law firm Linklaters has been trying to get traction in the US legal market. This could do it.  Linklaters  hired two FIFA legal stars: "Paul, Weiss partner Christopher Boehning has joined as Chair of its global sports practice and US strategic disputes, while Daniel Levi will serve in the firm’s litigation, arbitration and investigations practice, both in the New York office." Overall, there's been a surge of interest in sports legal talent. Driving that are the increase in private equity investments, complex regulations and litigation. Sports has evolved from a niche to a full-service corporat...

  The classic example of "hutzpah" - that is unbelievable gall - had been this. A kid kills his parents. In court he demands mercy since, get this, he's now an orphan. That same almost comical move seems to be put in play by close associate of Jeffrey Epstein Kathy Ruemmler. She could nudge out that outrageous kid to be the new forever example of hutzpah.  As a result of the disclosure of that powerhouse Epstein connection, she's stepped down from the big job at Goldman Sachs. Gifts impose obligation. She accepted many of those from Sweetie Uncle Jeffrey. But now, as The Wall Street Journal documents, she has taken to blame others for the reputational disaster she's stuck in - which may be getting worse because of her aggressive public relations efforts. For instance, The New York Times opinion piece defending her motivation for being so chummy with Epstein didn't go well in myriad circles.   Well, here's the blame snippet of hutzpah:  "She has blam...

  My, my, how badly the Justices of the US Supreme Court have been behaving.  As FT documents, it's everything from rude responses to opinions inside the Court to badmouthing members outside the Court in public statements. About the latter: Without naming Brett Kavanaugh, Sonia Sotomayor put the knock on him for his privileged background.  Why this matters is because SCOTUS had been among the few holdouts for old-line WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) gentility. The august aura historically attached to SCOTUS gave raw pragmatic America a bit of class. WASP culture embedded a code of behavior in which politeness was paramount.  That dominated, at least on the surface, institutions in America until around the 1960s.  Anything less in your presentation of self would have doomed you to hourly work. Language was indirect. Conflict was avoided. Perhaps that's why so many who looped into the ethos struggled with problem use of alcohol . Old-money Greenwich, Connectic...

  In that classic on power by journalist Hedrick Smith "The Power Game" there's a comprehensive explanation of how many versions of that there are.  One is institutional power, that is, it's established by your title in a major organization such as the US Congress. The world clamors for access to you. And that's the kind the late Lindsey Graham had.  It is reported Graham died of cardiac arrest at age 71.  The rumor is that Mitch McConnell, also with plenty of institutional power, suffered a cardiac event.  Back in January 2025, then chair of elite law firm Paul, Weiss Brad Karp experienced a major heart attack in his 60s. He survived that, for now.  So, you got to wonder if there's some kind of correlation between the dynamics of institutional power and heavy pressure on the heart. Perhaps human beings, at least so far, can't process a mega dose of institutional power.  Of course, there are other kinds of power. They're the individualistic type....

  Paul, Weiss' London office essentially is the House that Brad Karp and Scott Barshay built.  For years following its startup in 2001 the London location had been NoWhereVille. Then the two guys got to work. The latest accomplishment is being Apollo's primary outside legal counsel for its $76 billion purchase of discount carrier EasyJet. Apollo had outbid the investment firm Castlelake. Currently London is for Paul, Weiss a major profit center as well as branding international powerhouse. Bloomberg Law documents: "The firm has boosted its profile in London after hiring rainmakers Neel Sachdev and Roger Johnson from Kirkland & Ellis in 2023. Last year, its London teams guided parties in the $2.7 billion Soho House buyout and tech giant Qualcomm’s $2.4 billion purchase of semiconductor firm Alphawave Semi." Years ago Karp had brought in the Apollo account, then strengthened the hold on it in 2011. That was by poaching the seven partners at O'Melveny & Mye...