A well-known law firm recently has made headlines for surprising news to rescind the job offers they made to two Harvard Law School students. The cause for the backtracking stems from the two students signing an open letter in November 2018 to the Harvard Crimson campus newspaper that expressed discomfort with the University’s relations with Israel.
The law firm, Sullivan & Cromwell, had offered the two students summer internships ahead of their graduation this May. However, the firm caught wind of the students signing the letter and reversed the job offers. Sullivan & Cromwell spokesman, Matthew Seelig, commented on the matter and stated, “We support the right of students, faculty, and other individuals to speak out or protest peacefully on issues of public concern without fear of retribution by a prospective employer. But when an applicant’s conduct bears directly on his or her fitness for a Sullivan & Cromwell position, we must consider it.”
The situation has created a large amount of discussion as Sullivan & Cromwell’s statement implies their actions are justified and may hinder the students future opportunities while ruffling some feathers in the free speech debates. Seelig further added, “As is the case with any job applicant, we sometimes conclude after further review and reflection that a candidate is not an appropriate fit for the firm — due to factors other than his or her beliefs or expressions.”
Though Sullivan & Cromwell is not saying they made the decision based solely on the students signing the letter, it does raise the question as to why that was a key factor in the situation. It’s a complex and confusing voices in the debate, to be sure. The law firm has provided the students apology for the change in their job offers, but the true answer as to why this happened remains to be seen.