Two partners are leaving Paul Weiss, according to two people familiar with the matter, the latest blow to the prominent New York law firm that struck a widely criticized deal with President Trump last year.
The partners – Kannan Shanmugam and Masha Hansford – are departing to start a practice focusing on Supreme Court and other appellate litigation at rival firm Davis Polk.
Scott Barshay, who took over as chairman of Paul Weiss in February, announced his departure Thursday at a partnership meeting at the firm’s office in New York, the people said.
In a statement to The New York Times, a spokesperson for Paul Weiss said, “We thank Kannan and Masha for their contributions and wish them well in their future endeavors.”
Mr. Shanmugam has been one of Paul Weiss’s most prominent litigators. He regularly argued cases before the Supreme Court and chaired the firm’s Supreme Court and Appellate practice.
Ms. Hannaford is leaving Paul Weiss after less than a year as partner. She was first an associate at the firm and then worked in the Office of the Solicitor General of the Department of Justice, where she argued cases before the Supreme Court. She returned as a partner at Paul Weiss for the last time.
The exit is the latest turmoil at Paul Weiss, which was long known within the legal community as a litigation powerhouse — a reputation that was burnished during Mr. Trump’s first term when the firm took on major pro bono cases challenging administration policies.
Last March, under the leadership of the firm’s then-chairman Brad Karp, Paul Weiss struck a deal with Mr. Trump to avoid an executive order that could have barred it from representing clients before the federal government.
The deal was criticized in the legal community as a capitulation to Mr. Trump, which could make lawyers wary of challenging the administration in court.
It also highlighted tensions between some of the firm’s litigators and its corporate lawyers who often represent giant companies in mergers and acquisitions.
Mr Karp resigned as chairman in February after a series of emails about his dealings with registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were made public.
In the months following the firm’s settlement with the Trump administration, several well-known litigation partners departed, including Karen Dunn, a high-profile lawyer who oversaw debate preparation during the presidential campaigns of former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Mr. Shanmugam, a Republican with a conservative legal background, has worked with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and appeals court Justice J. Has held the position of clerk for Michael Luttig.
Davis Polk, where Mr. Shanmugam and Ms. Hannaford are principals, did not face one of the many executive orders Mr. Trump issued against major law firms last year.
