Two partners are leaving Paul Weiss, the latest blow to the prominent New York law firm that reached a widely criticized deal with President Trump last year, according to two people familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n
The partners \u2014 Kannon Shanmugam and Masha Hansford \u2014 are departing to start a practice focusing on Supreme Court and other appellate litigation at the rival firm Davis Polk.<\/p>\n
Scott Barshay, who took over as Paul Weiss\u2019s chairman in February, announced their departures at a partnership meeting at the firm\u2019s offices in New York on Thursday, the people said.<\/p>\n
In a statement to The New York Times, a spokeswoman for Paul Weiss said, \u201cWe thank Kannon and Masha for their contributions and wish them well in their future endeavors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Shanmugam has been one of the most prominent litigators at Paul Weiss. He regularly argued cases before the Supreme Court and led the firm\u2019s Supreme Court and appellate practice.<\/p>\n
Ms. Hansford is leaving Paul Weiss after less than a year as a partner. She previously was an associate at the firm and then worked in the Justice Department\u2019s solicitor general\u2019s office, where she argued cases before the Supreme Court. She returned as a partner at Paul Weiss last fall.<\/p>\n
The exits are the latest turmoil at Paul Weiss, which was long known within the legal community as a litigation powerhouse \u2014 a reputation that was burnished during Mr. Trump\u2019s first term, when the firm took on prominent pro bono cases challenging the administration\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n
In March last year, under the leadership of Brad Karp, then the chairman of the firm, Paul Weiss reached a deal with Mr. Trump to avoid an executive order that could have prevented it from representing clients before the federal government.<\/p>\n
The legal community criticized the deal as a capitulation to Mr. Trump that could make lawyers wary of challenging the administration in court.<\/p>\n
It also exposed tensions between some of the firm\u2019s litigators and its corporate lawyers who often represent giant companies in mergers and acquisitions.<\/p>\n