Roberta Kaplan Leaves Her Eponymous Law Firm Amidst Internal Disagreements

Roberta Kaplan is leaving the law firm she founded, Kaplan Hecker & Fink, due to disagreements with colleagues about her treatment of others. Her removal from the management committee and subsequent decision to start a new firm followed complaints about her behavior. The existing firm will change its name, and Kaplan expressed a desire to return to a smaller, more agile structure.

Renowned trial lawyer Roberta Kaplan, who made headlines for her victories in landmark cases representing New York writer E. Jean Carroll against former President Donald Trump, has announced her departure from the law firm she founded, Kaplan Hecker & Fink [1]. Kaplan's exit comes amidst disagreements with colleagues about her treatment of others and her desire to return to a smaller, more agile structure [1].

Kaplan, a veteran trial lawyer who rose to prominence through Carroll's high-profile lawsuits against Trump, is leaving to establish a new boutique firm with a focus on civil litigation, internal corporate investigations, and strategic advisory [1]. Tim Martin, another partner at Kaplan Hecker & Fink, will join her in this new endeavor, which will be named Kaplan Martin [1].

The departure of Kaplan, who won a landmark Supreme Court victory for same-sex couples in 2013 and represented Carroll in her defamation and sexual abuse lawsuits against Trump, comes after Kaplan Hecker & Fink's unexpected growth to over 100 lawyers and staff [1]. This growth, Kaplan noted, had nudged her to make a change and get back to a more nimble structure [1].

Despite the growth and success of Kaplan Hecker & Fink, Kaplan's departure had been in discussions at the firm for many months [1]. She is confident that she will be able to bring her clients with her, as she did when she left Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to co-found Kaplan Hecker & Fink in 2017 [1].

References:

[1] Bloomberg Law. (2023, March 15). Roberta Kaplan to launch new boutique with former prosecutors. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/roberta-kaplan-to-launch-new-boutique-with-former-prosecutors