Manhattan Adult Entertainment: Embattled Paterson Leans on Paul Weiss
The New York Times reports that Gov. David Paterson has
hired Paul Weiss litigation cochair Theodore Wells, Jr., to represent him New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s office continues its investigation into what role the governor played in events surrounding a domestic violence case
involving a top Paterson aide.
Wells, no stranger to high-stakes litigation, was out of
the office on Friday and unavailable for immediate comment. In a separate
story, The Times notes that Wells has a track record when it comes to helping
politicians in trouble. But his firm also has a history with the governor’s
office.
Indeed, it’s the second time in recent years that Paul Weiss has come to the aid of an embattled New York governor. Litigation partner Michele Hirshman advised
Paterson’s scandal-plagued predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, when the revelation that he patronized prostitutes forced him to resign in March 2008. Wells was part of the Hirshman-led Paul Weiss team that persuaded federal prosecutors not to charge
Spitzer with a crime the following November.