Alan Dershowitz

Associates

Harvard emeritus professor and Epstein defense architect

Alan Dershowitz is a high-profile criminal-appellate lawyer who helped negotiate Jeffrey Epstein's 2007-08 non-prosecution agreement, appeared in the financier's flight records, and later became a target of sexual-misconduct accusations before reaching a 2022 no-money settlement with his chief accuser.12

Though never charged, he remains a magnet for scrutiny as courts and the press revisit Epstein's network.3

Epstein ConnectionDetails
Primary professionCriminal-defense and constitutional attorney, Harvard Law professor emeritus4
First known contactMid-1990s Harvard fundraiser, retained as lead counsel during 2006 Palm Beach probe45
Role for EpsteinCrafted federal non-prosecution deal, advised on strategy, became public spokesperson15
Jet/island presenceLogged flights between Palm Beach and Teterboro, concedes receiving a single massage at Epstein's mansion67
Key accusationsVirginia Giuffre and Sarah Ransome alleged trafficking for sex, Dershowitz calls claims false27
Case outcomesAll Giuffre–Dershowitz suits dismissed 2022 with mutual statement, no payment3
Current postureUrges full unsealing of files, appears in media to defend plea deal and civil-liberty themes89

  Professional Background

Brooklyn-born and Yale-educated, Dershowitz joined Harvard Law School faculty at 28 and gained fame through cases such as Claus von Bülow, O. J. Simpson, and Donald Trump's first impeachment trial.4 Known for rapid-fire media appearances, he champions expansive speech rights and aggressive appellate tactics.

  Involvement with Epstein

Dershowitz met Epstein through Harvard circles in the mid-1990s and soon became informal counsel. When Palm Beach police and federal agents investigated in 2006, Epstein hired Dershowitz to assemble a heavyweight team. The result was a secretive 2007 non-prosecution agreement that limited federal exposure and led to 13 months in county jail with work release.156

Internal DOJ reviews later faulted prosecutors for "poor judgment" but found no misconduct under department rules.5

Flight records list Dershowitz on Epstein's Boeing 727 ("Lolita Express") several times in the late 1990s — he acknowledges travel linked to legal work and denies visiting Little Saint James.7

A 2003 birthday album shows him sending Epstein a tongue-in-cheek "Vanity Unfair" mock-cover, underscoring social as well as professional ties. Dershowitz neither claims writing the card, nor denies writing it as the actual artwork was not shared with him. 8

  Allegations & Litigation

Year/PeriodEvent/AllegationOutcome/Status
2014–2019Virginia Giuffre alleged Epstein trafficked her to Dershowitz when she was 16–19; Dershowitz countered that records proved she liedOngoing public dispute 2
2019–2022Defamation suits among Giuffre, Dershowitz, and attorney David BoiesOn 8 Nov 2022, all parties withdrew claims; Giuffre stated she "may have made a mistake" in naming him 3
2020 (CNN), 2021 (Netflix)Dershowitz sued CNN and Netflix for portrayals he called defamatoryBoth matters settled or remain pending with limited public filings 6

  Present Status

Now 86, Dershowitz appears frequently on cable news, urges full release of Epstein-Maxwell court files, and argues that blanket transparency would vindicate him and expose real wrongdoers.9 He continues to teach short seminars, publish books on civil liberties, and practice law, while critics maintain that the 2007 deal and flight-log evidence warrant deeper examination.7

  References

  Footnotes

  1. Why the Epstein case spurs conspiracy theories, Vox ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Court battle over Acosta's Epstein plea deal, Politico ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Giuffre drops Dershowitz defamation suit, Reuters ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. Alan Dershowitz profile, The New Yorker ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. DOJ review of Epstein plea deal, ABC News ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  6. Dershowitz defends plea deal, CBS News ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  7. A-list names in Epstein documents, The Guardian ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  8. Harvard affiliates' birthday letters to Epstein, The Harvard Crimson ↩ ↩2

  9. Dershowitz calls for more Epstein files, Reuters ↩ ↩2

Published on January 1, 1996

4 min read