Law Firms Build Free Legal Assistance Network to Combat Antisemitism

More than 40 large law firms are launching a network to provide free legal assistance to Jewish people facing antisemitism in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and war in Gaza.

The network grew from a project launched two years ago to create a hotline for college students and professors to report antisemitism on campuses. Over 1,000 individuals from more than 260 campuses reached out about incidents, including violence, verbal harassment, swastikas painted on students’ dorm-room doors and Jewish students locked out of campus buildings by protesters.

The hotline, which was started by the law firm Gibson Dunn and several Jewish advocacy groups, connected individuals with lawyers and led to at least 25 legal actions. It resulted in settlements, criminal prosecutions and policy changes at universities, the firm said. Increasingly though, calls were coming from people outside of college campuses.

The new network expanded to include some of the biggest law firms in the country—including Sullivan & Cromwell; Cooley; Covington & Burling—as well as the Anti-Defamation League, or ADL, a powerful advocacy group that works to combat antisemitism. Individuals can download an app to report incidents, which will be reviewed by a steering committee that can connect people with thousands of the country’s top lawyers.

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