White-collar Lawyers’ Newest Gig: Representing People In The Epstein Files

The fallout from the Epstein files has created a mini hiring boom for elite lawyers.

Scores of people named in the files — including high-profile figures as well as people whose names may have simply been mentioned in an email — have turned to criminal defense lawyers to help them navigate public scrutiny or professional blowback from their relationship with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein or his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.

Major organizations and academic institutions have also enlisted some of the biggest white-shoe law firms to conduct internal investigations into their ties to Epstein and Maxwell. Some senior executives at companies have quietly hired attorneys to review employees who have appeared in the files, or in some cases check whether an employee with a common name is the same person named in the files, according to a lawyer familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive business.

And, of course, Epstein victims, too, have enlisted counsel — in some cases to help them implore the Justice Department to remove files containing identifying information.

All of that has resulted in something of a cottage industry for the white-collar bar at a time when some in the industry have mused about a dry spell resulting from the Trump administration’s prioritization of immigration, drug and violent crime cases over white-collar prosecutions.

The lawyering-up is likely to continue as congressional oversight committees seek to question people whose names appear in the files. Earlier this month, the House Oversight committee requested interviews with two of Epstein’s longtime assistants, Sarah Kellen and Lesely Groff, as well as with longtime Bill Clinton aide Doug Band and Maxwell’s former boyfriend Ted Waitt. None have been accused of wrongdoing.

“Ms. Groff has always cooperated with law-enforcement in conjunction with the Epstein investigation,” her lawyers said in a statement. “It is her intention to fully cooperate with the Oversight Committee in their important work as well.”

Joan Vollero, who worked as a senior advisor to former Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance before joining communications firm ICR, is representing two clients whose names were in the Epstein files, whom she declined to identify. She blamed what she described as the poor execution of the files’ release for the rush to retain counsel.

“There is no precedent for it in modern times involving the wholesale release of email inboxes in this manner,” she said. “Victims have become re-victimized by shoddy, haphazard, or non-existent redactions, and entirely innocent people whose names appear for a wide range of reasons are now left with a cloud of suspicion and the burden of having to explain themselves publicly.”

The Justice Department has said compliance with the law that required the release of the files posed “substantial challenges,” adding that “any instances of release of personally identifying information for a victim were inadvertent” and that the department has sought to correct any errors.

Several prominent people whose ties to Epstein drew headlines have hired lawyers, though none have been charged related to his crimes.

Peter Attia, the medical influencer who resigned from his CBS News post, is represented by Adam C. Ford, a longtime trial lawyer. Attia, who exchanged emails with Epstein and whose name appears in hundreds of documents, has said some emails are “embarrassing, tasteless and indefensible.” He has denied wrongdoing.

A spokesperson for Attia said Ford’s firm “has a specialized practice handling defamation for high profile clients. In light of the volume of inaccurate and libelous reporting on this issue, Dr. Attia has assembled a team to help promote factual accuracy and communicate truth.”

Model Naomi Campbell, whose name also appears in hundreds of documents, is working with Martin Singer, the Los Angeles-based attorney known for his aggressive work on behalf of Hollywood clients. A representative for Campbell declined to comment.

Groff, the Epstein assistant, has Michael Bachner, whose website boasts of his “tenacious defense,” as well as Jon Whitcomb of the firm Diserio Martin.

And Richard Kahn, Epstein’s accountant, is relying on the counsel of Daniel Ruzumna, a former Manhattan federal prosecutor who is a partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler. Kahn testified earlier this month behind closed doors on Capitol Hill and provided the House Oversight committee with the names of people who allegedly contributed to Epstein’s fortune, Rep. James Comer, the committee chair, told reporters. Ruzumna didn’t respond to a request for comment.

In other cases, organizations have tasked lawyers with investigating their employees’ ties to Epstein and Maxwell.

The executive committee of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics board hired a team of five lawyers from O’Melveny & Myers to conduct a review of chair and talent agent Casey Wasserman’s relationship with Maxwell, after Wasserman’s name surfaced in the files. The executive committee subsequently said it “found Mr. Wasserman’s relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented,” and said Wasserman would remain in his post.

Wasserman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment sent to his agency.

Bard College’s board has hired WilmerHale to conduct a two-to-three month review of communications between the college’s president, Leon Botstein, and Epstein, as well as Epstein’s interactions with Bard. Botstein has said he was “shocked and appalled at the horrific nature and extent of [Epstein’s] monstrous and criminal depravity.”

In a letter to the college, Bard’s board said it will share the results of the review once it is complete, adding that “the law firm will also make recommendations to the Board regarding our policies and practices on donor vetting, fundraising, codes of conduct, and conflicts of interest.”

Barnard College has hired Joon Kim, a partner at Cleary Gottlieb and the former acting U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, to examine any potential ties to Epstein. A spokesperson for Barnard declined to comment. Kim declined to comment.

And the World Economic Forum, organizer of the annual summit for world leaders in Davos, Switzerland, enlisted independent counsel to probe its CEO and president, Borge Brende. Brende resigned following the inquiry, saying he wanted to allow the group “to continue its important work without distractions.” The organization didn’t respond to an inquiry about which firm conducted the investigation.

Some of the lawyers have drawn nearly as much attention as their clients. Cheryl Mills, who has worked with the Clintons for years, tangled repeatedly with lawmakers earlier this month during their questioning of both Bill and Hillary Clinton. Neither has been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

An attorney for Les Wexner, the billionaire who had a lengthy and mysterious relationship with Epstein, became something of an internet sensation — and folk hero among lawyers — when he reprimanded his client during a deposition before the House Oversight committee.

“I will fucking kill you if you answer another question with more than five words, okay,” the lawyer, Michael Levy, whispered to Wexner. Wexner chuckled in response. In his deposition, Wexner denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, and Wexner has said Epstein “misappropriated vast sums of money” from him and his family. Levy didn’t respond to a request for comment.