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Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison

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Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Company typeLimited liability partnership
IndustryLegal services
PredecessorCohen, Cole, Weiss & Wharton
Founded1875 in New York City, United States
FounderSamuel William Weiss and Julius Frank
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Brad Karp (chairman)
ProductsLitigation, corporate law
Websitepaulweiss.com

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP—commonly referred to as Paul, Weiss—is a prominent American multinational white-shoe law firm based in New York City.

The firm primarily specializes in litigation and corporate law. While litigation was traditionally its main focus, since Brad Karp assumed the role of chairman in 2008, Paul, Weiss has increasingly emphasized corporate legal services. In addition to its New York headquarters, the firm maintains offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Wilmington, Delaware, Toronto, London, Brussels, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.

Origins (1875–1949)

The origins of the firm date back to 1875 when Samuel William Weiss and Julius Frank launched a general commercial law practice in New York City. In 1923, a separate firm was founded by Louis Weiss and John F. Wharton, which later merged with Samuel Weiss's practice to create Cohen, Cole, Weiss & Wharton. During the 1930s, the firm notably represented one of the Scottsboro boys. The arrival of Lloyd K. Garrison and Randolph E. Paul in 1946 expanded the team to thirteen attorneys and led to renaming the firm Paul, Weiss, Wharton & Garrison.

In 1946, Paul, Weiss became a pioneer among major New York law firms by appointing Carolyn Agger as its first female partner; she operated from the newly opened Washington office. Three years later, in 1949, William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. joined as the firm's first black associate—a historic milestone marking the first person of color hired by a leading New York City law firm.

Developments from 1950 to 2000

Simon Rifkind became part of the firm in 1950, prompting the name change to Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. At that time, trial work was handled by only one of twelve partners; Rifkind significantly grew the litigation division.

Civil rights and women's rights advocate Pauli Murray served as an associate between 1956 and 1960. In 1966, Theodore Sorensen was brought on board as the firm's first lawyer specializing in international matters.

Jeh Johnson joined Paul, Weiss in 1984 and made history as its first African-American partner in 1993. After his tenure as Homeland Security director, he returned to the firm's litigation practice in 2017.

Representation of fossil fuel clients

For more than ten years, Paul, Weiss has acted on behalf of ExxonMobil in defending against climate change liability lawsuits brought by various U.S. municipalities and states. In 2025, the Supreme Court declined ExxonMobil’s request to dismiss Honolulu’s claim before trial. Key figures such as Theodore V. Wells, Jr. have been prominently involved in providing legal defense for fossil fuel industry clients.

A 2021 analysis named Paul, Weiss among the top firms engaged in litigation, lobbying efforts, and transactional work for fossil fuel corporations, contributing substantial revenue to the firm. The same report assigned Paul, Weiss the lowest rating on a climate action scorecard and noted its involvement in 30 fossil fuel-related cases over a five-year span.

In early 2020, law students from institutions including Harvard, Yale, NYU, and Michigan staged protests at Paul, Weiss recruitment events to express opposition to the firm’s representation of ExxonMobil.

In 2023, the firm represented ExxonMobil in a human rights lawsuit concerning Indonesian security personnel hired by the company who were accused of serious offenses such as murder and torture. Despite allegations from local residents that included sexual violence and physical abuse, ExxonMobil ultimately reached a settlement after prolonged litigation.

Following sanctions imposed on ExxonMobil due to misconduct by partner Alex Oh—who previously held the role of SEC enforcement director—Oh resigned shortly after his appointment.

Composition of the firm

On October 10, 2007, the national law student organization Building a Better Legal Profession ranked Paul, Weiss among Manhattan law firms based on billable hours, demographic diversity, and pro bono involvement. The firm placed between the 61st and 80th percentiles for partner diversity across Black, Hispanic, Asian, and LGBT groups and was ranked 52nd out of 74 firms regarding advancement opportunities for female attorneys. According to a 2019 report from Lawyers of Color, Paul, Weiss had the highest proportion of Black attorneys among 400 surveyed firms. By 2020, women represented 26% of the firm’s equity partners, slightly surpassing the industry average of 23.6%.

In 2018, Paul, Weiss faced criticism after posting a LinkedIn photograph featuring newly promoted partners—all white and including only one woman—highlighting ongoing challenges with racial and gender diversity despite its reputation for inclusiveness. This incident sparked discussions about persistent disparities within top-tier law firms.

Significantly, Loretta Lynch—the first Black woman appointed as U.S. Attorney General—joined Paul, Weiss as a litigation partner in 2019.

In 2020, the firm pledged to collaborate with other law firms and public interest organizations nationwide on a pro bono initiative aimed at addressing systemic racism.

In November 2023, amid campus protests related to the Gaza conflict, Paul, Weiss joined several major firms in urging law school deans to curb antisemitic speech and advocate for expanding the definition of antisemitism to encompass criticism of Israel.

Targeting during Trump administration

In 2025, during a retaliatory campaign initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump against law firms representing his political adversaries, Paul, Weiss—alongside Perkins Coie—became a target under the Second Trump administration.Executive order 14237 prohibited Paul, Weiss personnel from accessing government buildings or holding government positions or security clearances due to the firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and former partner Mark F. Pomerantz’s involvement in the investigation that led to Trump’s conviction on multiple counts . On March 19, Paul, Weiss informed a judge that it had lost a client as a result of this order.

Unlike Perkins Coie—which challenged the executive order through legal action and secured a temporary restraining order—on March 20, 2025, Paul, Weiss consented to lifting the ban in return for committing $40 million toward pro bono legal services aligned with Trump administration priorities and discontinuing its diversity initiatives; they also issued a statement accusing Pomerantz of improper conduct. Pomerantz—who had departed from the firm in 2022—denied these allegations.

This decision drew widespread condemnation. More than 140 alumni criticized it as yielding to Trump’s pressure tactics. Judge J. Michael Luttig characterized it as "selling out" both the firm and the legal profession to the President.

A March 2025 New Yorker article revealed that firm leadership considered capitulation acceptable despite having strong chances to contest the order legally but feared prolonged delays. Two granddaughters of founder Simon Rifkind publicly expressed disapproval of this choice.

In May 2025, partners Karen Dunn, Bill Isaacson, Jessica Phillips, and Jeannie Rhee left Paul, Weiss to establish their own practice. The following month saw partner Damian Williams join Jenner & Block.

Prominent engagements

Paul, Weiss acts as legal counsel for detainees held by the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay. In response to hunger strikes by detainees protesting alleged mistreatment, the firm submitted urgent motions seeking transparency regarding force-feeding procedures. In 2005, a U.S. District Court mandated that the government must inform detainees' attorneys prior to any force-feeding and provide medical records beforehand.

The firm represented Caesars Entertainment’s casino division during its 2011 bankruptcy proceedings, taking over from O'Melveny & Myers. Paul, Weiss also served Apollo Global Management, the private equity backer of Caesars, which led to a conflict of interest ruling; however, no detriment to Caesars or its creditors was found.

During an inquiry into suspected managerial fraud at China Medical Technologies—uncovered before a $355 million fraud scandal—the firm represented the company’s Audit Committee. Legal disputes arose concerning privileged materials connected to this investigation.

In 2015, Paul, Weiss prepared the comprehensive report on the "Deflategate" football controversy involving inflated balls. The next year, Fox News engaged Paul, Weiss to conduct an internal probe into Roger Ailes, a process that played a role in his eventual resignation.

In 2022, Paul, Weiss helped establish the Legal Alliance for Reproductive Rights, a coalition offering free legal assistance to individuals seeking or providing abortion services following the Dobbs ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

Additional key litigation clients include leading financial entities such as Blackstone Group, Citibank, and Goldman Sachs, alongside technology giants Google and Amazon.

Pro bono initiatives

In 2018, Paul, Weiss delivered pro bono legal aid aimed at reuniting over 400 parents who had been separated from their children at the U.S.-Mexico border and subsequently deported. This work supported a federal lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenging the Trump administration’s family separation policy. The firm chaired a committee working alongside three nonprofit organizations to track down these parents, successfully locating nearly all of them by November.

Distinguished partners

Noteworthy alumni

See also

Notes

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