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- Davis Polk has pulled job offers to three law students from Harvard and Columbia.
- The firm said the students were part of statements on the Israel-Hamas war that went against the firm's values.
- The move comes after an NYU law student also had a job offer revoked over a statement on Israel.
The law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell has rescinded job offers to three students from Columbia University and Harvard University due to their involvement in student organizations whose statements on the Israel-Hamas war ran counter to the firm's values.
A spokesperson for Davis Polk confirmed to Insider on Tuesday that the students had had their job offers pulled.
"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," a statement provided to Insider said. "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for signing on to these statements are no longer welcome in our firm; and their offers of employment have thus been rescinded."
The move was first reported by law.com, which obtained an email sent by Davis Polk & Wardwell chair Neil Barr to the rest of the firm. The email also said the students had leadership positions in the organizations that issued the statements.
Tensions have been on high college campuses since the militant group Hamas launched a wave of terror attacks in Israel on October 7, prompting the Israel Defense Forces to launchcounterattacks on the Palestinian territory of Gaza. Israeli officials have reported more than 1,300 people were killed in the Hamas attacks. More than 3,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, per the territory's Ministry of Health.
Student groups at some universities were quick to issue statements after the initial attacks. A statement signed by some student organizations at Harvard said they held Israel "entirely responsible" for all of the violence that had occurred and was unfolding. A statement issued by some Columbia students described the Hamas terror attacks as Palestinians launching a "counter-offensive against their settler-colonial oppressor."
The law firm Winston & Strawn withdrew its job offer to a New York University law student who also published a statement on the Hamas attacks on Israel. The statement, which was issued to the NYU Student Bar Association, said "Israel bears full responsibility for this tremendous loss of life."
CEOs and investors have also called on Harvard to release the names of the students who belong to the groups that issued the statement blaming Israel for the Hamas attacks.
And students aren't the only ones experiencing consequences for their statements on the war. Several tech leaders have pulled out of a top industry conference in Europe after the CEO of the summit criticized Israel.