Jeffrey Epstein.

New sex crime charges against billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein are bringing renewed attention to the 2008 plea deal that critics have called far too lenient—and put a spotlight on the many lawyers involved in reaching that deal.

It turns out that a number of the biggest players in Epstein's aggressive defense are also big names in the world of legal education, as is the U.S. attorney who eventually signed off on a nonprosecution agreement that ended an FBI investigation and was never disclosed to the defendant's victims. Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida state court to two prostitution charges in 2008 and served 13 months in a Palm Beach jail, much of which was spent in a work release arrangement that allowed him to work out of his nearby office. (Epstein was also required to register as a sex offender).

Federal prosecutors in New York unsealed an indictment Monday charging Epstein with sex-trafficking and conspiracy, alleging that he exploited underage girls for sex in his New York and Palm Beach, Florida, homes.

Here's a look at the lawyers with legal education ties involved in Epstein's first legal battle.

Alan Dershowitz—The relationship between Epstein and big-name Harvard Law School professor (now emeritus) and criminal defense attorney Alan Dershowitz is well documented by now. But here are the basics: Epstein hired Dershowitz around 2005, when he first came under investigation by local police for sex trafficking. Dershowitz has represented many high-profile defendants, including O.J. Simpson and Patty Hearst. According to a 2018 investigation by the Miami Herald, Dershowitz worked to discredit several of Epstein's alleged accusers and portray them as not credible to investigators. Dershowitz even met with the local state prosecutor in an attempt to pressure authorities to drop the case, the Herald found. (Dershowitz denied that he was involved in compiling background on Epstein's victims and investigators.)

Alex Acosta—Acosta, now the U.S. labor secretary, was not on Epstein's 2007 defense team, yet he played a key role in hammering out the so-called sweetheart deal that allowed Epstein to avoid federal charges. He was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida during the Epstein investigation, and in that capacity he met with Epstein defense attorney Jay Lefkowitz—a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, Acosta's former firm—to discuss a deal. Acosta would become dean of Florida International University College of Law in 2009, where he remained until he became labor secretary in 2017. He raised the school's profile considerably during his tenure. Acosta was questioned about the Epstein deal during his 2017 confirmation hearing and told lawmakers that prosecutors agreed that a plea deal guaranteeing Epstein would serve time and pay restitution to his victims was a good outcome. (In a 2011 letter, Acosta also ascribed the deal to a “year-long assault” by Epstein's legal team.) Some Democratic lawmakers called for his resignation from the Labor Department this week due to his handling of the case.

Ken Starr—Yes, we're talking about the same Ken Starr who led the special counsel investigation of Bill Clinton in the 1990s. Back in mid 2000s, Starr was the dean of Pepperdine University School of Law when Epstein hired him to join his seven-member defense team. According to the Miami Herald's reporting, Epstein wanted Starr on his legal team due to his Republican connections, knowing that then-U.S. Attorney Acosta is a staunch Republican. (Epstein had been a generous donor to Democrats, including Bill Clinton.) Starr had also worked at Kirkland & Ellis, like Acosta and Lefkowitz.

Jay Lefkowitz—Kirkland & Ellis partner Lefkowitz had a starring role on Epstein's 2007 defense team, engaging in months of negotiations with federal prosecutors that led to the non-prosecution agreement and relatively little scandal for his client—at least at the time. Epstein's victims were never informed of the agreement, despite that the disclosure is customary. Kirkland & Ellis isn't Lefkowitz' only gig, however. He is a part-time lecturer at Columbia Law School. A spokeswoman for the school confirmed that he taught a seminar on the Supreme Court this spring but did not respond to a query about whether any students or alumni have raised concerns about his affiliation with Columbia. (Former Columbia lecturer Elizabeth Lederer resigned last month under pressure from students who objected to her role on the team of lawyers that prosecuted the so-called Central Park Five.)

Roy Black—Like Lefkowitz, Miami-based criminal defense attorney Black also was hired by Epstein and sidelines in legal education. Black is a founding partner of Black, Srebnick, Kornspan & Stumpf and has taught criminal evidence as an adjunct at the University of Miami School of Law for more than 30 years. He's no stranger to high-profile clients. He won an acquittal of William Kennedy Smith in 1991 on rape charges and has represented Rush Limbaugh, Kelsey Grammer and Justin Bieber. A spokeswoman for the law school said Tuesday that she is unaware of any backlash among students to Black's involvement in Epstein's defense.