by
DON
EMMERT/AFP
via
Getty
Images)
Last
month,
faced with
an
Executive
Order —
described
by
the
right
as designed
to
bankrupt the
firm
—
Paul
Weiss
chairman
Brad
Karp
kissed
the
ring
of
Donald
Trump.
It
was
the
first
deal
between
a
Biglaw
firm
and
the
Trump
administration,
and
forever
changed
the
relationship
between
the
biggest
and
most
powerful
law
firms
and
the
creep
of
authoritarianism.
But
how
exactly
did
it
happen?
It’s
been
widely
reported
that,
in
addition
to
Paul
Weiss’s
Karp,
Bill
Burck
of
Quinn
Emanuel
Urquhart
&
Sullivan
represented
PW
during
the
negotiations,
and
Trump
personal
counsel
Boris
Epshteyn
was
involved.
And,
curiously,
Bob
Giuffra,
co-chair
of
Sullivan
&
Cromwell,
was
also
part
of
the
negotiation.
S&C
took
on
Donald
Trump’s
criminal
appeal
(to
much
internal
strife),
so
there’s
been
speculation
that’s
how
Giuffra
got
roped
into
selling
out
Biglaw.
But
according
to
reporting
by
Law.com,
S&C
says
Giuffra
was
brought
into
the
matter
by
a
PW
partner:
According
to
a
source
familiar
with
the
matter,
a
Paul
Weiss
partner
reached
out
to
a
friend,
Kramer
Levin
partner
Richard
Farley,
soon
after
Trump
signed
the
executive
order
against
Paul
Weiss.
In
those
discussions,
the
Paul
Weiss
partner—whose
identity
is
not
clear—asked
for
Farley’s
help
in
securing
a
meeting
with
the
White
House.
(Farley
at
one
point
was
considered
a
contender
to
be
Trump’s
choice
to
chair
the
Securities
and
Exchange
Commission.)
Farley
offered
to
contact
Giuffra,
but
only
after
the
Paul
Weiss
partner
confirmed
with
him
that
Karp
had
approved
the
request
to
ask
for
Giuffra’s
help,
the
source
said.
However,
Karp
says
he
was
“unaware
of
Mr.
Giuffra’s
involvement
in
this
matter
prior
to
March
19th,”
which
was
when
the
negotiations
between
PW
and
Trump
began.
Patriots
CEO
Robert
Kraft
was
also
involved
in
the
March
19th
deal
for
reasons
that
remain
unclear.
But
once
Trump,
Karp
and
Giuffra
got
to
talking
they
hashed
out
the
Very
Important™
national
security
and
discrimination
issues
that
were
the
facial
justification
for
the
Paul
Weiss
EO.
Just
kidding.
They
talked
about
golf.
During
the
March
19
Oval
Office
meeting
between
Trump
and
Karp,
the
White
House
called
Giuffra,
who
was
in
New
York
at
the
time,
to
connect
him
to
the
meeting
by
phone.
The
president
asked
who
was
the
better
lawyer
between
the
two.
Giuffra
responded
by
saying
he
was
the
better
golfer,
and
then
Karp,
Trump
and
Giuffra
proceeded
to
talk
about
golf
for
about
15
minutes,
according
to
a
source
familiar
with
the
events.
Karp,
Burck,
Giuffra
and
Epshteyn
were
left
by
Trump
to
hammer
out
the
terms
of
the
deal.
And
like
every
deal
that’s
totally
legit,
not
at
all
sketchy
and
not
subject
to
the
whims
of
an
egotistical
bully,
the
actual
deal
remained
unsigned.
The
entire
situation
has
left
many
wondering
what
role
Giuffra
really
has
in
the
administration.
According
to
reports,
Giuffra
also
answered
questions
from
his
partners
about
his
role
in
the
PW
deal
once
that
became
public.
But
he
says
that
the
first
deal
was
the
only
he
was
involved
in.
A
Sullivan
&
Cromwell
spokesperson
said
there’s
been
a
“misunderstanding
of
the
facts.”
Giuffra
has
had
no
role
in
deal
talks
with
firms
besides
Paul
Weiss,
the
spokesperson
said,
and
hasn’t
known
about
any
law
firm
executive
order
until
they
were
issued.“He
had
no
knowledge
of
any
law
firm
executive
orders
(including
the
Paul,
Weiss
Executive
Order)
before
those
orders
became
public,
and
no
involvement
in
any
of
the
other
law
firm
resolutions
except
for
Paul,
Weiss,”
the
firm’s
spokesperson
said.
Also
noteworthy
is
S&Cs
silence
on
the
EOs
targeting
Biglaw
firms,
and
the
chilling
impact
they’ve
had
on
the
industry.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
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@Kathryn1 or
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@[email protected].