Blake Lively Hires Lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein’s Victims Ahead of Justin Baldoni Trial

Blake Lively has added Sigrid McCawley, a well-known lawyer who has represented Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, to her legal team as her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni heads toward trial, PEOPLE reports. McCawley will focus on handling public communications and media matters for Lively’s case.

“It is a privilege to get to work with Blake Lively’s world class legal team on a case that at its core is about a woman who was subjected to a hostile work environment and is being attacked for standing up to protect herself and other female co-workers,” McCawley, the managing partner of Boies Schiller Flexner, said.

Lively, 38, is already represented by attorneys Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, who have been managing the case through months of discovery disputes, sealed filings, and subpoena battles in the Southern District of New York. “We are thrilled that Sigrid has joined Blake’s legal team in this important role handling our public-facing communications. We recruited Sigrid based on her many years of work speaking truth to power, including her courageous representation of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, and have no doubt her experience will serve the team well,” Gottlieb and Hudson said.

McCawley is recognized for her work with survivors of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, including Virginia Giuffre, in cases that exposed Epstein’s abuse network and resulted in high-profile settlements and criminal prosecutions. She previously represented Lively’s publicist, Leslie Sloane, after Baldoni countersued her, a case that was dismissed by a judge in June 2025.

Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, filed in December 2024, alleges s**** harassment and retaliation related to her work on the film It Ends With Us. Baldoni denied the claims and filed a countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion. That countersuit was later dismissed by a judge.

The case has been delayed from its original March trial date to May 2026. A key hearing is scheduled for January 22, where the judge will hear arguments on Baldoni’s motion for summary judgment, which seeks to dismiss some or all of Lively’s claims before the trial. In May 2025, Lively’s attorney confirmed she plans to testify. “Yes. The ultimate moment for a plaintiff’s story to be told is at trial. We expect that to be the case here [with Lively]. So we would, of course, expect her to be a witness at her trial. Of course she’s going to testify,” Gottlieb said.

Baldoni’s legal team has also been strengthened with the addition of Alexandra Shapiro, who has previously represented Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Adding Sigrid McCawley to Blake Lively’s team is a strategic move that brings a high-profile voice to the public side of this case. With the trial approaching and sensitive evidence set to be unsealed, McCawley’s experience with high-stakes cases could play an important role. What do you think about Lively bringing in such a prominent attorney? Share your thoughts in the comments.