The shopper stated a presidential govt order might current a battle of curiosity if he retains the agency as protection counsel.
New York-based legislation agency Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (Paul Weiss) stated in a March 19 court docket submitting that it was fired by a shopper after President Donald Trump signed an govt order final month revoking safety clearances from its staff.
“Mr. Schwartz is anxious that the agency’s continued illustration of him might negatively have an effect on his skill to acquire a good evaluation of his case, or, because of the Govt Order, in any other case create potential conflicts of curiosity as between Mr. Schwartz and Paul, Weiss, that Mr. Schwartz just isn’t ready to waive,” the submitting learn.
“No matter whether or not or not the federal government is permitted to have interaction with Paul, Weiss within the ongoing evaluation, Mr. Schwartz is anxious that Paul, Weiss’s ongoing involvement within the matter might in and of itself prejudice the evaluation of his case.”
The order additionally talked about a former main prosecutor within the workplace of Particular Counsel Robert Mueller, who joined the agency and introduced a professional bono case in opposition to people charged within the occasions on Jan. 6, 2021, on the U.S. Capitol. Trump prompt these sorts of professional bono circumstances disadvantaged defendants of entry to justice.
The president additionally accused Paul Weiss of discriminating in opposition to its personal staff “on the idea of race and different classes prohibited by civil rights legal guidelines,” alleging its “range, fairness, and inclusion” insurance policies have been prejudicial.
Schwartz is a former chief authorized officer for Cognizant Expertise Corp. He was charged in 2019 for violating the U.S. Overseas Corrupt Practices Act in a bribery scheme in India and has since pleaded not responsible. The Trump administration paused its pending prosecutions underneath the overseas bribery legislation in February.
In its Wednesday court docket submitting, Paul Weiss stated the Justice Division is reviewing its subsequent steps within the case and that Schwartz is “involved that the agency’s continued illustration of him might negatively have an effect on his skill to acquire a good evaluation of his case” or current conflicts of curiosity.
Kimberly Hayek and Reuters contributed to this report.