Willkie Litigator Joins Dunn Isaacson Rhee Spin-Off Boutique

Meryl Governski is leaving Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s litigation department for a spin-off firm launched by Paul Weiss alums.

Governski, whose past client roster includes Hollywood actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, said on LinkedIn she is joining “the deep bench of brilliant litigators” at Dunn Isaacson Rhee. Willkie Farr is one of the nine Big Law firms that promised free legal services to President Donald Trump in order to avoid a punitive executive order.

Karen Dunn, Jeannie Rhee, William Isaacson, and Jessica Phillips in late May left Paul Weiss—another of the operations that made a deal with Trump—to launch the new firm. It later added Paul Weiss attorneys Kyle Smith, Rush Atkinson and Melissa Zappala and scooped up some associates.

Firms that made agreements with Trump continue to see partners and associates head for the door. A group of seven attorneys left Willkie to join Cooley last month. The firms promised Trump nearly $1 billion in free legal services on shared causes, including combating antisemitism and ensuring “fairness in the justice system.”

The new spinoff firm currently employs more than 20 lawyers. Many recruits were also part of the group of attorneys who left Boies Schiller amid criticism over its work for Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Similar to the boutique’s other recruits, Governski is also a Boies Schiller alum.

She withdrew Tuesday from representing rapper Drake in his lawsuit against record label UMG Recordings because of her departure from Willkie.

Dunn Isaacson Rhee did not immediately respond for a request for comment.