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Star Litigators Karen Dunn, Bill Isaacson Leave Boies Schiller for Paul Weiss

Karen Dunn and Bill Isaacson, two partners on Boies Schiller Flexner’s executive committee known for representing an array of blue-chip technology companies and other prominent clients, are joining Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. The moves mark two of the most significant partner losses for Boies Schiller, which has already seen the departure of more than 30 partners this year.

The pair’s arrival at Paul Weiss was approved by a partner vote Thursday. While they will work in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office, Paul Weiss is planning to enter Northern California, said chairman Brad Karp. The location would align with Dunn’s tech client base, which includes Oracle, Apple and Uber.

“We have been thinking about entering the Northern California market for a while,” Karp said. “This is an exciting first step in that direction.”

Dunn, a political insider with deep connections to former President Barack Obama and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, said she was drawn to New York-based Paul Weiss not just for its bench strength but also for its continued commitment to progressive causes.

“It’s important to be somewhere that has a deep commitment to social justice,” Dunn said. “I have admired the work that they’ve done for a long time. And I feel very much that I have a common mind.”

Isaacson added that Paul Weiss’ broad practice strength was also instrumental in luring the pair away. ”Beyond the trial lawyers, there’s also a platform of corporate, M&A and restructuring that will be good for our clients,” Isaacson said.

For Boies Schiller, which lost almost its entire West Coast partnership to King & Spalding in April, Isaacson and Dunn’s departures are another stinging blow. The exits also come after a transition in leadership at Boies Schiller and founding partner David Boies’ controversial representations of Theranos and sex offender Harvey Weinstein. Sources have previously said the controversies affected relationships with bread-and-butter regional clients such as tech companies and movie studios.

A Boies Schiller representative could not immediately be reached for comment.

In an interview, Dunn and Isaacson declined to answer questions about Boies Schiller. In a statement, the duo praised the firm as “a great law firm, with great lawyers and great new leadership.”

“BSF gave us many opportunities and we will always be grateful. We will miss working with our BSF colleagues and friends, but we have so many friends at the firm, this will hardly be goodbye,” their statement said.

Dunn, who was an associate White House counsel under Obama, quickly rose in Boies Schiller’s ranks. Big victories on behalf of clients Oracle and Apple enshrined her reputation as a top litigator and rainmaker for the firm.

She was named one of The American Lawyer’s litigators of the year in 2017. The following year, she was elected to Boies Schiller’s executive committee at age 42. Dunn is representing Apple, Uber and Oracle in ongoing litigation, according to federal court records.

Isaacson, on the other hand, was a member of Boies Schiller’s old guard. He joined Boies Schiller when David Boies started the firm in 1997 and is leaving the firm as a vice chairman and an executive committee member. Isaacson has built a reputation as a high-profile antitrust litigator, notching a billion-dollar victory on behalf of NCAA athletes and winning multimillion-dollar verdicts working as co-counsel with Dunn. In 2016, he was dubbed The American Lawyer’s litigator of the year.

Isaacson has been representing several plaintiffs in litigation against insurance companies, according to court documents. He and Dunn are also representing Apple in ongoing lawsuits, a frequent client for the two. Isaacson and Dunn also defended Apple in multifaceted litigation against Qualcomm.

The partners represent a significant addition for Paul Weiss, which saw a modest decline in revenue and profits last year. The firm added strong talent in March with the pickup of longtime Simpson Thacher & Bartlett partner Robert Holo.

Dunn is now one of several prominent Obama administration alums at the firm, including former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who joined Paul Weiss last year.

https://www.law.com/americanlawyer/2020/06/11/star-litigators-karen-dunn-and-bill-isaacson-leave-boies-schiller-for-paul-weiss/?slreturn=20200518201551