Attorney at Kirkland and Ellis who served as a senior member of Jeffrey Epstein's defense team during the 2007-2008 federal plea negotiations in the Southern District of Florida. Lefkowitz had previously served in the George W. Bush administration as Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea, giving him considerable Washington credibility and access.
In the Epstein case, he worked alongside Reid Weingarten and Alan Dershowitz to negotiate the non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office, which resulted in Epstein pleading guilty to two state felony charges while avoiding federal sex trafficking prosecution. Lefkowitz became a named figure in subsequent litigation over the legality of the agreement, particularly regarding whether victims were notified as required under the Crime Victims' Rights Act.
His involvement became part of the public record when the agreement and accompanying communications were unsealed in the Southern District of Florida proceedings. Lefkowitz has maintained that the agreement was lawfully negotiated and that his conduct was appropriate. His name appears throughout the EFTA filings from the negotiation and post-plea periods.