Leading US law firm says it rescinded job offers to students who backed Israel-Hamas letters
A leading American law firm said it rescinded job offers to three law students who were involved in groups which signed statements criticizing Israel’s role in the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to a report.
Davis Polk, one of the world’s largest law firms, said in an internal email that it had revoked offers to the Harvard and Columbia university students because they allegedly supported letters blaming Israel for the violence.
The decision to revoke the job offers comes as other companies have said they would not hire students who backed letters that were critical of Israel.
Last week, a group of US business leaders demanded that Harvard University release the names of people involved in the 30 Harvard student organizations which co-signed a letter saying they “hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence”.
More than 20 student organizations at Columbia University issued a joint statement which had a similar sentiment.
“The weight of responsibility for the war and casualties undeniably lies with the Israeli extremist government and other Western governments, including the US government, which fund and staunchly support Israeli aggression, apartheid and settler-colonization,” the statement from the Columbia student groups said.
In an email to staff on Tuesday, obtained by Reuters and others, Davis Polk’s managing director, Neil Barr, said the company had revoked job offers to three law students in leadership positions at the groups that issued statements related to Israel and Palestine.
“These statements are simply contrary to our firm’s values and we thus concluded that rescinding these offers was appropriate in upholding our responsibility to provide a safe and inclusive work environment for all Davis Polk employees,” Barr wrote.
Barr’s email said the firm was remaining “in dialogue” with two of the students to consider any additional information they may offer, suggesting that they could be brought back on board.
The New York Times reported that
Davis Polk was considering whether to bring back two of the three students, who claimed they did not authorize the letters. The letters did not have individual signatures.
A statement provided by Davis Polk on Tuesday said:
“The views expressed in certain of the statements signed by law school student organizations in recent days are in direct contravention of our firm’s value system. For this reason and to ensure we continue to maintain a supportive and inclusive work environment, the student leaders responsible for signing on to these statements are no longer welcome in our firm; and their offers of employment have thus been rescinded.”
Davis Polk’s decision comes one week after Winston & Strawn, an international law firm headquartered in Chicago, said it had rescinded a job offer to Ryna Workman, a former New York University Student Bar Association president.
Workman wrote in a Student Bar Association newsletter that “Israel bears full responsibility” for Hamas’ attack on the country.
Other organizations, including the restaurant chain Sweetgreen and lifestyle company FabFitFun, have also said they would not hire students who were in the letters, NBC News reported.