Dem firm Paul Weiss vows to adopt political neutrality, cut DEI after Trump threatens security clearance

Brad S. Karp, chairman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, has a long history of supporting Democrats. He sought to organize major law firms to challenge policies by the Trump administration that may be vulnerable to certain legal arguments, such as those related to immigration. In 2023, Karp hosted a “Lawyers for Biden” fundraiser, and a top partner at his firm helped prepare Vice President Kamala Harris for her debate with Trump.

Trump recently issued an executive order barring the firm from working with the federal government and suggesting that its clients could lose government contracts. The move threatened the firm’s business, prompting Karp to initially explore a legal challenge.

However, on Wednesday, Karp met with Trump in the Oval Office to negotiate a settlement. The next day, Trump announced that Karp had pledged $40 million in "pro bono legal services during [Trump’s] term in office to support causes including assisting ... veterans, fairness in the justice system, and combating anti-Semitism; and other similar initiatives.”

In addition to this, “Paul Weiss has acknowledged the wrongdoing of its former partner Mark Pomerantz, and it has agreed to a number of policy changes to promote equality, justice, and the principles that keep our Nation strong, including: adopting a policy of political neutrality with respect to client selection and attorney hiring; taking on a wide range of pro bono matters representing the full political spectrum; committing to merit-based hiring, promotion, and retention, instead of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies,” the White House announcement said.

On Friday, Trump remarked at the White House that law firms had “ruthlessly, violently, illegally” attacked him in the past but now “want to make deals.”

According to The New York Times, Karp consulted with firm partners before finalizing the deal. Some corporate partners strongly opposed suing the administration, leading to internal disagreements with litigation-focused partners who wanted to fight the order in court.

“Some of the firm’s corporate partners were particularly adamant that the firm should not sue the administration,” the New York Times reported. “That put them at odds with other partners who work on high-profile litigation and had been arguing that the firm should fight, some of whom expressed displeasure internally on Friday that Mr. Karp had settled, according to four people familiar with the matter.”

Prior to the stand-ff with Paul Weiss, Trump had issued executive orders imposing penalties on other law firms, including Covington & Burling to have security clearances revoked for working with former Special Counsel Jack Smith on investigations into Trump. A federal judge recently blocked the order against a similar action against Perkins Coie from taking effect.

Karp’s decision to settle marks a shift from his earlier stance, as he had previously helped rally support for Perkins Coie. On Thursday, he sent an internal email justifying the firm’s decision, stating that he “reaffirmed” its principles.

“Thank you all for your patience during this time,” Karp wrote to staff. “With this behind us, we can devote our complete focus — as we always do — to our clients, our work, our colleagues and our firm."