The Paul Weiss Heckle Evening

Brad Karp, chairman of Paul Weiss, found himself on the business end of vocal hecklers during the New York Bar Foundation gala as he valiantly defended his firm’s pro bono track record after the firm agreed to represent Donald Trump.

The evening, intended to honor a Paul Weiss partner, quickly became an impromptu cross-examination according to reports in American Lawyer and Bloomberg Law, with Karp fielding jeers as he reminded the legal crowd of Paul Weiss’s documentable progressive résumé: championing abortion rights, taking on gun manufacturers over mass shootings, and representing victims of hate crimes since at least 2017.

Karp’s message was clear, pro bono work should be measured by breadth, not the controversy of a single client, even if that client brings an audience ready to throw more than bread rolls. Welcome to Big Law in 2025, where your commitment to justice is always up for review, preferably at a black-tie dinner with a side of protest.