The chessboard of Washington’s legal world shifted again as Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP secured a major win for its antitrust bench. The firm announced the arrival of three high-profile partners from A&O Shearman, led by David Higbee, the architect of that firm’s global antitrust practice and a member of its executive committee. Joining him are fellow partners Ben Gris and Djordje Petkoski.
Brad Karp, chairman of Paul Weiss, welcomed the new arrivals, noting that the Washington-based trio would significantly expand the firm’s firepower in complex competition matters. A spokesperson underscored that growth opportunities of this scale remain central to the firm’s strategy.
Higbee admitted he hadn’t been seeking to leave A&O Shearman, but described the offer as too compelling to ignore. Meanwhile, his former firm issued a cordial statement of thanks to the departing lawyers.
The timing of these hires is striking: Paul Weiss lost several of its most recognizable antitrust litigators earlier this year, including Karen Dunn, William Isaacson, and Jeannie Rhee. Their newly formed firm, Dunn Isaacson Rhee, has already drawn marquee clients such as Amazon, Qualcomm, Google, and Warner Bros. Discovery.
For Paul Weiss, the addition of Higbee, Gris, and Petkoski marks both a replenishment and a signal—its ambitions in antitrust remain firmly on the offensive. The move also comes against a backdrop of political scrutiny. Earlier this year, Paul Weiss cut a controversial deal with Donald Trump to sidestep an executive order aimed at the firm over its diversity policies and past hiring choices. That agreement set off ripple effects across the legal industry, with several other major firms following suit.
While Dunn, Isaacson, and Rhee have not tied their departures to that deal, Paul Weiss now finds itself reinforcing its ranks at a critical moment. With the latest additions, the firm appears determined to demonstrate that it is still very much in the fight for dominance in the nation’s most competitive legal arena.
