Brad Karp, Chairman of Paul Weiss, is arguably the most powerful law firm leader in America—and he has had a hell of a year. Eight weeks after suffering a heart attack, Karp faced what he calls the "existential crisis" of his career: a "nuclear" executive order from the Trump administration designed to destabilize his firm.

In this exclusive and candid interview, Karp sits down with Joel and John to share what he’s learned at the helm of one of the world's leading and most profitable firms. He opens up about the radical transformation of Paul Weiss from a litigation-focused partnership into a private equity and M&A powerhouse.



Brad also shares the inside story of how Paul Weiss survived the White House's bombshell executive order against it. While critics (including our illustrious previous guest, Jeffrey Toobin) have called the firm's settlement a "capitulation," Karp argues it was a necessary duty to protect thousands of employees from a "run on the bank" that would have destroyed the firm. Spoiler– John agrees.

Guest: Brad Karp is the Chairman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. For more conversations with the titans changing the legal business, subscribe to New Law Order. For a lawyer CLE version of this interview and other legal insights, visit www.talksonlaw.com. For questions or comments about the show email us at newlaworder@talksonlaw.com.