Harvard/Columbia Law Students Made Their Point, Davis Polk Rescinds Their Jobs

"Davis Polk & Wardwell rescinded job offers to three law students at Harvard and Columbia universities after organizations they were part of made controversial statements about the Hamas attack on Israel ... they were leaders of groups that signed on to the Joint Statement from Palestine Solidarity Groups at Columbia University and the Joint Statement by Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups on the Situation in Palestine." Bloomberg Law, October 17, 2023

Davis Polk did not provide the names of the students.

Could privilege be part of the reason the students who made the statements might have been unaware of the potential for severe consequences? In the hood as well as lower middle class neighborhoods we were totally aware of the correlation of what came out of mouths and employment and even survival. I got down cold not to mouth off. Legendary were tales of what happened to those who did shoot off their mouths. 

The clients of law firms could be among those who are creating blacklists of not-to-hire. Those could have an extensive shelf life. Careers, at least in law and business, could be derailed forever. 



In a sense it was a gift poverty bestowed to learn the lessons of keeping our mouths shut early in life. Smoothly most of us navigated systems - Roman Catholic Church, grade school/high school, college, graduate school and then employment. The males who didn't usually wound up in prison, the females pregnant. There was no margin for error. And no way back.

Okay, there was a brief lapse during the Counterculture. But we were not expected to be "part of that." Somehow we were and there were prices to pay, of course. The brutal recession of the mid-1970s got us back on the path of silence. When pushed out of middle management in 1987, I received generous severance in exchange for not sharing the details with media. No balking from me.

Now comes what should be the universal angst: What law firms will be next to rescind offers? 

According to Vault, here are the top 10, including Davis Polk, the most prestigious:

  1. Cravath, Swaine & Moore
  2. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
  3. Skadden
  4. Latham & Watkins
  5. Sullivan & Cromwell
  6. Davis Polk & Wardwell
  7. Kirkland & Ellis
  8. Simpson Thacher
  9. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
  10. Gibson Dunn
UPDATE:

The New York Times reports that Davis Polk might reverse its decision.

In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please text 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com)

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