For a firm not exclusively dedicated to litigation, Paul Weiss continues to be “the gold standard” in this capacity. One peer quips, “[It’s] 2023 and we’re still referencing Paul Weiss as being at the top. They’re nothing if not consistent in that regard.” Another opines, “I think Paul, Weiss might be the best law firm in the country.” Elaborating further on these glowing accolades, one contemporary explains, “What’s most important to me is that whosever is across the table, it doesn’t have to be a personal fight. We’re all professionals, member of the same bar, ultimately out to achieve the greatest results for our clients. Paul Weiss lawyers are strong advocates but also very professional. They don’t ‘live for battle,’ just for great advocacy.” The firm’s litigation capabilities extend across virtually all major commercial practices, with star power at all levels within each of these, and the firm shows no signs of slowing in its agenda of recruiting and grooming this talent. Historically an East Coast powerhouse, the firm has since entrenched itself in the California market with the January 2021 addition of a San Francisco office, spearheaded by Melinda Haag and Walter Brown, two leaders in the white-collar area. The traction that this office has achieved in this market has been remarkable and has catapulted the firm quickly into the “Highly Recommended” category in the Golden State.
This build-out in California came hot on the heels of the 2020 coup of luring antitrust specialist Bill Isaacson and all-purpose trial luminary (with substantial experience in the antitrust area) Karen Dunn to the firm’s DC office. In addition to steering Amazon through a maze of matters in this area, this duo, as co-counsel, achieved a major trial victory in September 2021 for Apple in its high-profile, closely monitored and hotly contested dispute with gaming entity Epic, maker of the popular “Fortnite” game. This case, summed up by one observer as “the World War III of antitrust” found Epic taking aim at Apple’s App Store business model, particularly concerning the commission Apple charges for app payments made on iOS devices. In August 2020, Epic announced that it would offer a direct payment option for in-app purchases, which prompted Apple to remove the Fortnite app from the App Store, as Apple App Store policies explicitly prohibit direct payments for app purchases of digital content on iOS devices. While the matter has since been appealed, the favorable trial verdict went to Apple. Dunn enjoys another year as one of Benchmark’s “Top 250 Women in Litigation,” and has even made a return to the elite “Top 10” category. She makes another appearance on Benchmark’s “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” list, a coveted position.
Peers are nearly unanimous in their crediting of New York’s Brad Karp for fostering this culture of hiring and retaining top talent. Karp, a media-savvy practitioner who is equally at home with the press, the C-suite and the courts, remains the firm’s chairman (a post he has held since 2008) and is also still a renowned securities advocate. “I honestly don’t know how he does it – does he ever sleep? – and also remain a total ‘mensch’ all the while,” marvels one peer. Another quips, “A colleague of mine was bragging about how much he works, and then when he told me the number, I laughed and retorted, ‘That’s about a third of the hours Brad Karp logs per year!’” Citigroup is a blue-chip client of the firm, and Karp in particular. “I’m sure it’s no exaggeration to say they’ve got him on speed-dial plenty,” quips a peer. Karp and Susanna Buergel, a frequent lieutenant on securities cases, represent this client in several ongoing qui tam lawsuits alleging that the client set rates in an aggregate process (termed by the plaintiff as “robo-resetting”), which violates the fraud statute in the states in which these cases were brought. The New York office is also home to the firm’s “A-list” trial lawyer, Ted Wells, a perennial and universal favorite. “Paul Weiss has superior talent across the board but when it comes to trial work, it’s Ted – period.” While peers admit that Wells “will be impossible to replace,” several do concede, “They are trying to get others up in the ranks, and people like Roberto Finzi and Lorin Reisner are stepping up to the task.” A peer assesses, “Following in the footsteps of someone like Ted Wells is a daunting task – massive shoes to fill! – but they are doing a great job.”
Peer plaudits are equally rich for Paul Weiss’s more “next-generation”-level talent as well. “I’m a big fan of [New York’s]
Audra Soloway,” attests one contemporary. “She covers the waterfront in securities, very diverse in this area – including SPACs! – and does some investigations and white-collar work as well.” Another peer weighs in for
Greg Laufer, another New York partner with a broad commercial practice that encompasses bankruptcy. “I’m working with him on the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy,” confirms one peer. “I’ve seen him do a lot of depositions.” Also in New York,
Brette Tannenbaum is referenced as “very capable,” with one peer noting, “She just recently made partner, and she just joined the Paul Weiss team in the credit-card cases.” This referred-to matter was a major victory in March 2023 for client Mastercard in an 18-year-long class action over the fees charged to retailers accepting payment cards from Mastercard and Visa. Nearly a year after Paul Weiss gave oral arguments on behalf of the settling group of payment card companies and card-issuing banks, the Second Circuit upheld a $5.6 billion settlement approved in 2019 with a nationwide merchant class, allowing the settlement to finally be implemented. Originally taken on by DC antitrust-focused partner
Ken Gallo, he was joined on the appeal by DC “appellate whiz”
Kannon Shanmugam.
