Epstein’s Fondness for Elite Lawyer Ends in Downfall

When private equity titan Leon Black needed help with creative tax and wealth strategies, he turned to Jeffrey Epstein. But when Black needed help with Epstein, he turned to a powerful Wall Street attorney and fixer, Brad Karp.

The largest release yet of Justice Department records on Epstein reveal that Karp, the chairman of elite law firm Paul Weiss, was often in near orbit as Black paid the convicted sex offender $158 million for financial advice over the years — with Karp sometimes helping set the amounts. In a twist, he and Epstein also formed what they both called a “friendship” — musing in messages, arranging to attend a Woody Allen film premier and meeting up, including for dinner at Epstein’s Manhattan home.