Scott Barshay's Paul, Weiss: Latest Partner Exit is Yuni Yan Sobel

HIGHLIGHTS

Watching Scott Barshay as leader

Paul, Weiss loses corporate partner

Brad Karp solidifies reset as lawyer

Kirkland & Ellis becomes vulnerable

Mankind plans, gods laugh

***********************************

Partners are the revenue generators at most law firms. Their brandnames on the marque can also enhance the firm's branding. 

Therefore, the key metric we're watching to determine if new Paul, Weiss chair Scott Barshay can lead is the ability to recruit, retain and motivate those big names. The focus is primarily on transactional practices, not litigation. Watchers conclude that Barshay's agenda is transforming the one-time litigation powerhouse into a corporate one.

So, it's a setback that there has been a partner defection in antitrust. Yuni Yan Sobel is leaving for Weil. Her track record, in addition to antitrust, has been in M&A, merger control and Hart-Scott-Rodino Act issues. After seven years at Paul, Weiss she was voted in as a partner in 2025. 

In deals by value, Paul, Weiss ranks fifth. In general, the practices related to dealmaking are high-value. In talking with my intuitive coaching/tarot-reading clients, those are increasingly focused on locking in compute deals for processing AI.

Meanwhile, former Paul, Weiss chair Brad Karp has orchestrated a successful reset as a full-time hands-on lawyer/rainmaker with a nine-figure book of business. His clients include Apollo, Citi and the NFL. The buzz is that he retains a voice on some internal matters at the firm. 

Interestingly, the harsh spotlight on Karp's canary-in-the-mine negotiations with the Trump administration has shifted from him to Jon Ballis at Kirkland & Ellis. Congress made this move on October 16th:

"Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee; Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations; and Sen. Adam Schiff wrote to ... Ballis, rejecting the firm’s bogus legal justifications for refusing to cooperate with the Committees’ investigation into Kirkland’s decision to provide ... Trump with $125 million in free legal services ..."

Another point of vulnerability for Kirkland & Ellis, of course, has been its retreat from posting financial performance. That is supposedly driven by client discontent with escalating legal bills. The legal world remembers also the raid on this firm's legal talent in London by Barshay and Karp. The humiliation was profound.

So, here we are. Is Kirkland & Ellis losing its grip on the legal industry and can Barshay lead Paul, Weiss to take over that space? 

In coaching, I guide clients away from careful planning to spotting opportunity and going after it. The legal sector has broken open in terms of revenue, power and influence. Which will be the new winners and the new losers?

Careers. Forget all that. It’s about earning a good living, no matter what. Intuitive coaching and, upon request, tarot readings.

Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova, StreetSmart Coaching (janegenova374@gmail.com)


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