Original Jurisdiction
Original Jurisdiction
No Accident: An Interview With Karen Dunn
3
Preview
0:00
-49:49

No Accident: An Interview With Karen Dunn

The star trial lawyer discusses her role in a new HBO documentary, Paul Weiss’s lateral hiring spree, presidential-debate coaching, and much more.
3

Welcome to Original Jurisdiction, the latest legal publication by me, David Lat. You can learn more about Original Jurisdiction by reading its About page, and you can email me at davidlat@substack.com. This is a reader-supported publication; you can subscribe by clicking here. Thanks!

If you’re looking for something to watch as the weather turns colder and we spend more time indoors, allow me to suggest HBO’s No Accident. This documentary, directed by Kristi Jacobson and produced by Michelle Carney and Alexandra Moss, tells the story of Sines v. Kessler, the landmark civil-rights trial against the white supremacists behind the notorious “Unite the Right” rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017.

One lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, and as such a star of No Accident, is Karen Dunn, one of the nation’s top trial lawyers. I try to make my guests timely, and Karen is a great guest for that and two other reasons. First, last month she became co-chair of litigation at Paul, Weiss—a firm that has been making lots of news itself, thanks to its aggressive hiring of lateral partners. Second, ‘tis the season for presidential debates—a topic Karen knows well, having served as debate coach to President Barack Obama, in his successful reelection effort, and Secretary Hillary Clinton.

If you’re interested in either trial practice or the intersection of law and politics, then you’ll enjoy this episode. I’m grateful to Karen for joining me, as well as for all she does to advance equal justice in our country.

Show Notes:

Prefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below.

Sponsored by:

NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com.

Karen L. Dunn (courtesy photo via Paul, Weiss).

Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Original Jurisdiction to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Original Jurisdiction
Original Jurisdiction
Original Jurisdiction, a podcast about law and the legal profession, features host David Lat interviewing some of the most interesting, influential, and important people in the world of law. It's the companion podcast to Lat's Substack newsletter of the same name. You can follow David on Twitter (@DavidLat) or email him at davidlat@substack.com, and you can subscribe to his newsletter at davidlat.substack.com.