The large plaintiffs’ law firm Edelson PC announced that it will boycott recruiting events at Harvard Law School as a consequence of Harvard University president Claudine Gay’s Congressional testimony shrugging off campus antisemitism as “free speech,” followed by Harvard’s subsequent endorsement of Gay’s leadership. The firm informed Harvard Law’s career services office in a letter that announced the firm will skip the upcoming January law school recruitment as well Harvard’s larger on-campus interviewing event in August, when major firms do their hiring of summer associates.
Firm founder and CEO Jay Edelson explained, “This is not about Harvard law students. This is about the leadership of Harvard and how much of a megaphone it has on the world stage. They should use that megaphone responsibly.” Edelson added, “I understand that this is not going to be as relevant to them than if Skadden Arps pulled out, but I’m hoping they start seeing that even the liberal firms think this is well past a line.”
So far, only the Edelson firm has taken any action against Harvard. Sure, it’s virtue signaling for the firm and excellent PR, but the boycott is still an ethical act. The only way Harvard will change course is if its ongoing unethical conduct, hypocrisy and double standards have adverse consequences. If potential law students conclude that their Harvard law degrees will limit their employment opportunities, Harvard will have to pay attention.
Such boycotts should have started in 2019 when Harvard pilloried law professor Ronald Sullivan for representing politically incorrect, #MeToo villain Harvey Weinstein. That’s when I decided to boycott Harvard.
It is going to be interesting to see how much Harvard is willing to lose in contributions, reputation and public respect before it concludes that it is wrong and its critics are right.
Ethics Alarms 
I see that CEO Edelson says his decision is not about the students, but isn’t this a shot across the bow of the student body as well? If Edelson PC thought its potential Harvard interns/hires, to say nothing of the faculty, would not be steeped in the same ideology as the Harvard President, I believe – though I couldn’t prove it with any knowledge of my own – the firm would still come to recruit there. So I’m assuming that Jay Edelson believes that is not the case, and that the rot has trickled down. The actions of the faculty and students sure seem to confirm it.
Well, Harvard and its students worked hard for this boycott. They’ve earned it.
I can only hope there are many other firms doing the same thing.
Perhaps the only way to persuade Harvard and its ilk to change their ways is to make them pariahs.