UK law firms’ deafening silence on campus anti-Semitism

Protestors hold banners as they march against anti-Semitism on November 26, 2023
Protesters hold up banners at an anti-Semitism march in London - Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images

Ross Stevens, the founder and chief executive of New York-based fund manager Stone Ridge, was once a frequent donor to his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania.

His millions proved crucial in the creation of a fintech hub at the college business school, which provided students with key data analytics to aid their education.

However, in a significant withdrawal of support, Stevens recently scrapped a $100m (£79.5m) donation over claims the Ivy League university has failed to tackle anti-Semitism.

The move comes as the university’s president, Elizabeth Magill, faces calls to resign after refusing to say whether calls for the “genocide of Jews” breach school rules.

Her comments echoed those made by Harvard University president Claudine Gay earlier this month, who told a congressional hearing that the school’s commitment to free expression covered “views that are objectionable, offensive, hateful”.

Unsurprisingly, the comments caused anger among those who have been calling for Jewish students to receive greater protection after Hamas’ terror attacks on October 7.

Among those urging for more to be done has been one graduate employer in particular: law firms.

Calls for campus crackdown

Hundreds of US firms last month signed a letter asking college deans to crack down on the rise of hate speech and harassment on campuses.

The letter said: “As employers who recruit from each of your law schools, we look to you to ensure your students who hope to join our firms after graduation are prepared to be an active part of workplace communities that have zero tolerance policies for any form of discrimination or harassment, much less the kind that has been taking place on some law school campuses.”

The letter was signed by scores of so-called white shoe law firms, the country’s most prestigious outfits known for their clients and high profits.

Among them was Davis Polk & Wardwell, one of the world’s largest law firms, which in October revoked job offers to three Columbia and Harvard students who allegedly signed letters criticising Israel’s role in the war.

However, when asked by The Telegraph, many of these same US firms remained silent on how their London offices have responded to the rise of anti-Semitism at UK universities.

Although the US letter has since been forwarded to some British universities, UK law firms have failed to publicly raise similar concerns about the safety and treatment of Jewish undergraduates in this country.

Rise in anti-Semetic incidents

It comes despite reports from Community Security Trust, a charity that protects Jewish people, that 140 university-related anti-Semitic incidents have taken place in the UK since October 7.