Paul Weiss chairman Brad Karp resigns after Jeffrey Epstein email disclosures

Brad Karp, chairman of the major corporate law firm Paul Weiss, resigned that post on Wednesday after fallout over emails between him and notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were made public.

"Leading Paul, Weiss for the past 18 years has been the honor of my professional life," Karp said in a statement. "Recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm."

Karp, who was appointed chairman in 2008, will remain at the firm, where he "will continue to focus his full-time attention to client service," Paul Weiss said in a statement.

Scott Barshay, who had been chair of Paul Weiss' corporate department, was appointed chairman of the firm, effective immediately, according to the firm.

Karp had been at Paul Weiss for more than four decades.

His resignation as chairman comes two days after the firm said "Mr. Karp attended two group dinners in New York City and had a small number of social interactions by email" with Epstein, all of which he regrets."

The emails were among millions of documents related to Epstein that were released last week by the Department of Justice.

Bloomberg reported that one email from Karp asked Epstein for help securing a job for Karp's son on a Woody Allen movie.

Paul Weiss, in response to that Bloomberg article, had said, "Paul Weiss was retained by Leon Black, then the CEO of the firm's longtime client Apollo, to negotiate a series of fee disputes with Jeffrey Epstein that spanned several years."

"The firm was adverse to Epstein, and at no point did Paul Weiss or Brad Karp ever represent him," the firm said.

The firm's new chairman, Barshay, in a statement on Wednesday, said Karp made "immense contributions" during his tenure.

"As Chairman of the firm, he transformed Paul, Weiss in an unprecedented way to the great benefit of our clients," Barshay said.

"We are grateful to him for his extraordinary dedication and service over his many years as Chairman."

Karp last March signed off on a controversial agreement to provide $40 million worth of legal work, at no charge, for causes supported by President Donald Trump. The president, in turn, rescinded an executive order he previously issued targeting the firm.