Updated:
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Paul, Weiss, chaired by Brad Karp, is a premier New York law firm and operator of an estimated $301 million corporate pension plan.
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison was founded in New York in 1875. Now chaired by Brad Karp and guided on the corporate side by Scott Barshay, the firm is one of the most prominent U.S. law firms, advising many of the largest private equity firms, investment banks, and public companies. Its client roster has long featured Apollo Global Management, KKR, and General Atlantic — relationships that have drawn Paul, Weiss deep into the structuring of fund formations, leveraged buyouts, and multibillion-dollar public-company takeovers. As a pension fund, Paul, Weiss operates a defined-benefit retirement plan for its partners and employees. Altss estimates the plan's total assets at roughly $301 million, which is deployed through a diversified institutional portfolio rather than a single-family-office or venture-style structure. The fund maintains an allocation across public equities, fixed income, and private markets, utilizing external managers. The firm's deep ties to the private equity industry give the pension plan unusual proximity — though not direct co-investment rights — to managers such as Apollo and KKR. The firm's New York headquarters spans the top floors of 1285 Avenue of the Americas, with additional real estate holdings including its Washington, D.C. office at 2001 K Street NW and a Los Angeles presence at 2000 Avenue of the Stars. Paul, Weiss also holds a notable art collection, including works by Gerhard Richter and a dedicated photography collection at its New York offices. The firm fields more than 1,000 lawyers globally, with the partnership including former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Charles Johnson. As of early 2025, the firm announced plans to open an office in San Francisco, deepening its technology and life sciences capabilities (per public record, January 2025). The pension plan's structural differentiator is its embedded, non-discretionary access to the intelligence flow of one of the world's most-connected M&A legal practices. While the plan invests through standard institutional channels rather than co-investment sidecars, the partnership's daily work with Apollo, KKR, and General Atlantic creates an information environment that few similarly sized corporate plans can replicate. The plan is administered separately from the firm's law practice, with fiduciary governance managed through a pension committee and external consultants.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1875
AUM
$301 million (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, United States
Additional offices
Washington, DC · Los Angeles, CA · San Francisco, CA · Wilmington, DE · London, UK · Toronto, Canada · Tokyo, Japan
Principals
Brad S. Karp
Chairman
Scott A. Barshay
Chairman, Corporate Department
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs the firm's investment strategy today?
Brad Karp has served as Chairman since 2008, overseeing firm-wide strategy. The Corporate Department is chaired by Scott Barshay, who guides M&A and private equity advisory. The pension plan is governed by a separate fiduciary committee with external investment consultants, ensuring standard ERISA-compliant oversight. Day-to-day portfolio management is delegated to institutional asset managers.
What is the estimated size of the Paul, Weiss pension plan?
Altss estimates the Paul, Weiss defined-benefit pension plan holds approximately $301 million in total assets. The firm does not publicly disclose the plan's AUM. The estimate is derived from Form 5500 filings and comparable law-firm pension structures.
Does the Paul, Weiss pension plan co-invest directly alongside its private equity clients?
No. Paul, Weiss operates its pension plan as a standard ERISA-governed defined-benefit plan. While the firm's partners advise Apollo, KKR, and General Atlantic on fund formations and portfolio acquisitions, the pension plan invests through external managers and does not operate a discretionary direct-investment or co-investment vehicle. The legal and ethical walls between the law practice and the pension plan are strictly maintained.
How does the firm's private equity practice influence the pension plan's investment posture?
There is no direct line-of-sight trading or investment linkage. However, the partners' deep daily work with major alternative-asset managers gives the pension committee an unusually sophisticated understanding of private-market dynamics. This can inform manager-selection diligence and asset-class pacing decisions, though all investments are made through standard institutional channels at arm's length.
What is the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison Foundation?
The Paul, Weiss Foundation is a separate philanthropic entity through which the firm channels charitable giving. It supports legal aid, pro bono initiatives, and community organizations, primarily in the New York area. The foundation is a distinct legal entity from the law firm and does not manage any portion of the pension plan's assets.
Does Paul, Weiss have any presence outside the United States?
Yes. Beyond its U.S. offices — New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Wilmington — the firm maintains international offices in London, Toronto, and Tokyo. The London office focuses on cross-border M&A, private equity, and capital markets, particularly for European clients and transatlantic transactions involving U.S.-based sponsors.
What are the firm's core non-legal assets?
Paul, Weiss holds significant real estate across its office portfolio, including major leasehold positions at 1285 Avenue of the Americas and 1345 Avenue of the Americas in New York. The firm also maintains an art collection that includes pieces by Gerhard Richter and a dedicated vintage photography collection, housed at the New York headquarters.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on family offices?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: