A former Justice Department litigator is leaving Paul Weiss to join former firm partner Karen Dunn’s litigation boutique.
Rush Atkinson is joining Dunn Isaacson Rhee, the latest Big Law spin-off firm. Atkinson, the sixth partner to leave Paul Weiss for the boutique, announced his move on LinkedIn Sunday.
Atkinson, who joined Paul Weiss last year, previously served a 12-year stint at the Justice Department. He worked on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of the 2016 election. Rhee, a founding partner of the boutique, also worked on Mueller’s investigation into potential Russian election interference.
Former Paul Weiss partners Dunn, Rhee, and William Isaacson, left the firm in late May to launch their new firm. Dunn was co-chair of Paul Weiss’ litigation department. Jessica Phillips and Kyle Smith also left Paul Weiss to join the boutique.
Dunn’s firm has rounded out its bench with former Paul Weiss associates including Erica Spevack, Leah Hibbler and Lyle Gruby.
Paul Weiss removed mentions of Atkinson’s work for Robert Mueller amid Trump’s re-election from its website. The firm was one of a handful of law firms to be hit with executive orders by President Donald Trump that targeted their diversity initiatives and their lawyers’ security clearances.
Paul Weiss promised Trump $40 million in free legal services in exchange for the pull back of the order.
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