{"id":2068446,"date":"2023-10-16T05:17:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-16T09:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-flight-law-firm-sidley-austin-hires-hamas-sympathizer-from-harvard-law-school-its-not-the-only-one\/"},"modified":"2023-10-16T05:20:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T09:20:09","slug":"top-flight-law-firm-sidley-austin-hires-hamas-sympathizer-from-harvard-law-school-its-not-the-only-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-flight-law-firm-sidley-austin-hires-hamas-sympathizer-from-harvard-law-school-its-not-the-only-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Sidley Austin, a leading law firm, recruits Harvard Law School graduate with Hamas sympathies, joining others."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftop-flight-law-firm-sidley-austin-hires-hamas-sympathizer-from-harvard-law-school-its-not-the-only-one%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2068446&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Students who have expressed solidarity with Hamas are set to\u200c join some of the nation\u2019s leading law firms<\/h2>\n<figure><figcaption>Harvard University campus on June 29, 2023\u2064 (Scott Eisen\/Getty \u2063Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>One of America&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-different-kind-of-gun-grabbing\/\" title=\"A Different Kind of Gun-Grabbing\">top law firms<\/a>\u2064 has hired\u200d an executive member of a Harvard Law student group that signed on \u200bto \u2062a statement blaming Hamas\u2019s gruesome weekend terrorist attacks on Israel and its &#8220;apartheid\u200b regime.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Saeed Ahmad, an executive board member of the \u2064Harvard Muslim \u2064Law \u2062Students Association, is an incoming corporate associate at \u2063Sidley Austin, according to his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/saeedahmad-\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn page<\/a> \u2063and\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nation.com.pk\/columnist\/saeed-ahmad-hussain-awan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">biography<\/a> on the Pakistani news site the <em>Nation<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The firm, home of the legendary Supreme Court litigator\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sidley.com\/en\/people\/p\/phillips-carter-g\">Carter G. Phillips<\/a>, is\u200b perhaps best known for launching the legal careers of <a href=\"http:\/\/wsj.com\/articles\/BL-LB-3803\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Barack<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.com\/international-edition\/2019\/03\/04\/daily-dicta-why-michelle-obama-disliked-working-at-sidley-and-the-lessons-that-still-apply-378-100167\/?slreturn=20230912132917\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michelle Obama<\/a>\u2014and\u200c their relationship\u2014boasted\u200b a starting salary of $205,000 for \u200dfirst-year associates as of\u200d 2021, according to <em>Above the Law<\/em>. A spokesman for\u2063 the \u200bfirm, whose <a href=\"http:\/\/sidley.com\/-\/media\/uploads\/sidley-austins-private-equity-bet-pays-off-as-market-hums.pdf?la=en&#038;rev=7b9a178ce4664707baacaaa8a124aa28\">clients include<\/a> the \u200cprivate equity giants KKR, The Carlyle Group,\u200c and Siris Capital, according to <em>Bloomberg \u2064Law<\/em>, did not respond to a \u2062request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>The Muslim Law Students Association was one of \u200cmore than 30 Harvard \u200dstudent groups that signed a statement on Saturday <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/latest-news\/harvard-dean-33-student-groups-blame-israel-for-war\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">arguing<\/a> that Israel is &#8220;entirely responsible&#8221; for the terror attacks that have killed more than 1,300 Israelis, including women, children, and babies.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The\u200b apartheid regime \u2062is the only one to blame,&#8221; \u200bthe statement said. &#8220;The coming days will require a firm stand against colonial \u200bretaliation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Since then, the Muslim \u200bLaw Students\u2062 Association\u2063 has disavowed the statement, asserting in a subsequent statement that the group of soon-to-be-lawyers signed without\u200b &#8220;knowledge as\u2062 to its content.&#8221; &#8220;This was a tremendous\u200c error\u200d of judgment on our part and we \u2064deeply \u200cregret signing on to such a statement,&#8221; the group wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Ahmad similarly said he &#8220;did not know&#8221; his association signed the statement and &#8220;was\u200b never consulted over the prospect of signing it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I would never stand \u200cby such a statement, and just the first sentence \u200balone is callous,&#8221; Ahmad told the \u200c <em>Washington \u200bFree Beacon<\/em>. Still, Ahmad said in \u200ba Wednesday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/saeedahmad-_meet-the-harvard-students-supporting-hamas-activity-7117673785545170944-oRy0?utm_source=share&#038;utm_medium=member_ios\">LinkedIn post<\/a> that he would not step\u2064 down\u2064 from his role on\u2062 the association&#8217;s board, opting instead to &#8220;stay on and work\u2064 to mend relationships across\u2062 campus and facilitate improvements.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The \u200coriginal statement, which has generated tremendous backlash including\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/10\/11\/a-dozen-ceos-back-bill-ackmans-call-to-not-hire-anti-israel-harvard-students\/\">calls\u2064 from the hedge fund billionaire \u2064Bill Ackman<\/a> and others \u2064for Harvard to release the names of the members of every student group that signed it, reflects the anti-Semitic sentiments that have\u2064 festered at elite U.S. universities\u200d in recent years. Harvard&#8217;s student newspaper, the <em>Crimson<\/em>, \u200bendorsed the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement last year, while a \u2064student group held a \u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/campus\/no-comment-harvard-president-wont-condemn-anti-semitic-incidents\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">campus demonstration<\/a> comparing Israel \u200dto Nazi Germany.<\/p>\n<p>Sidley Austin is not alone in offering\u2062 a home to\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/want-to-know-what-critical-race-theory-is-watch-the-matrix-scholar-explains\/\" title=\"Want To Know What Critical Race Theory Is? Watch \u2018The Matrix,\u2019 Scholar Explains\">radical law students<\/a> who have \u200bblamed Israel \u200bfor its fate in the wake of the\u200d deadliest terrorist attack in its history.<\/p>\n<p>Fellow Harvard \u200bMuslim Law Students Association member \u200bAriq Hatibie worked as a\u200b summer associate\u200c at \u2063White and Case&#8217;s \u200dNew\u200d York office, the firm confirmed. \u200dA White\u2062 and Case spokesman said\u200c that \u2062the association &#8220;has issued a retraction of its signature&#8221; from\u2064 the pro-Hamas statement. Hatibie, the \u2064spokesperson added, \u200dwas\u200d not involved in the\u200b association&#8217;s decision to sign the \u2064statement and condemns &#8220;the\u200b horrific \u200dattack by Hamas on\u2063 innocent Israeli citizens.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>University of\u2062 Michigan&#8217;s Rachel Fishman, \u200da third<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/law-school-student-letter-details-culture-of-bullying-at-university-of-north-carolina\/\" title=\"Law School Student Letter Details \u2018Culture Of Bullying\u2019 At University Of North Carolina\">-year law student<\/a> and \u2062 <a href=\"http:\/\/mlawblsa.org\/executive-board\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">member<\/a> of the\u2062 school\u2019s Black Law Student Association, which signed on to a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/zach_kessel\/status\/1711543481934676068?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a> arguing that Hamas is &#8220;fighting\u2062 for justice&#8221; and \u200bblamed the terrorist attacks on Israel&#8217;s &#8220;racist, colonial actions,&#8221; is set to join\u2064 Winston\u2062 and Strawn as an associate \u200cnext year, \u200baccording\u200d to her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:7092990750543548418\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a> page.<\/p>\n<p>Winston and Strawn, the \u2064home the powerhouse \u200dWashington, D.C. litigator\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winston.com\/en\/professionals\/lowell-abbe-david\">Abbe Lowell<\/a>, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/legalindustry\/anti-israel-comments-prompt-winston-strawn-rescind-nyu-law-students-job-offer-2023-10-10\/\">already rescinded the offer<\/a> of an NYU law student who\u200c argued that \u200cIsrael bore full responsibility for the terrorist attacks, but did not respond to a \u200brequest for comment, and Fishman did not respond to a request for \u200bcomment.<\/p>\n<p>Three \u2063other University of Michigan Law students whose groups signed on to that statement\u2014Harry Davis III, Sijay Matsinye, and Sophia Guirguis\u2014were summer associates at prestigious firms McGuireWoods, Jenner and Block, and \u2064Wilson \u200bSonsini, \u2062respectively. Summer associates are almost always <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-flight-law-firm-sidley-austin-hires-hamas-sympathizer-from-harvard-law-school-its-not-the-only-one\/\" title=\"Sidley Austin, a leading law firm, recruits Harvard Law School graduate with Hamas sympathies, joining others.\">extended\u2064 full-time offers<\/a>\u200b of employment by\u2062 their firms. Those firms did not return requests for comment. Matsinye, Guirguis, and Davis \u200ddid not return\u200d requests\u200b for\u2062 comment.<\/p>\n<p>At\u200d Columbia University, meanwhile, the South Asian\u200b Law\u200b Students Association <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/zach_kessel\/status\/1711434301361774633\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">endorsed<\/a> a statement arguing that the &#8220;weight\u200d of the responsibility&#8221; for Hamas&#8217;s terrorism &#8220;undeniably lies with the Israeli extremist government and other Western governments, including the U.S. government.&#8221; Group \u200cmembers Arjun Patil, Keerthi Adusumilli, \u200band Aarushi Kaul worked as summer associates at top \u2063firms Akin Gump, Dorsey and Whitney, and Cleary \u2064Gottlieb.<\/p>\n<p>Akin Gump told the <em>Free Beacon<\/em> that\u200c Patel did not receive a postgraduate offer of employment and will not be joining \u2062the firm. The other firms\u200c did not return requests for comment. The Columbia South \u200cAsian Law Students Association, which <a href=\"https:\/\/orgs.law.columbia.edu\/salsa\/content\/executive-board\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">appears \u2064to have removed access<\/a> to the portion of its\u2062 website that lists its\u200b executive board, did not return a request for\u200b comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2>What potential challenges or controversies might arise \u200dfrom having students who expressed solidarity with \u200bHamas working at top law firms?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2062 In\u200c a controversial development, some students who expressed solidarity with Hamas, a\u2064 Palestinian militant group, \u200dare set to join some of the nation&#8217;s leading law \u200bfirms. Saeed Ahmad, an executive board member of the Harvard \u200bMuslim Law Students Association, has been hired as an\u2063 incoming corporate \u200dassociate at Sidley Austin, one of America&#8217;s top law firms. \u2063Similarly, Ariq \u2062Hatibie from the same association worked as a summer associate\u2062 at White and Case&#8217;s New York office, and Rachel Fishman, a member of University of Michigan&#8217;s \u2064Black Law \u200bStudent Association, is set to join Winston and Strawn next year.<\/p>\n<p>Sidley Austin, known for launching the\u2062 legal\u200d careers of Barack and Michelle Obama, among others, is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-judicial-nominees-highlight-conflict-between-progressives-civil-rights-groups\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Judicial Nominees Highlight Conflict Between Progressives, Civil Rights Groups\">prestigious law firm<\/a>\u200d with a starting salary of \u200b$205,000 for first-year associates. The firm did not \u2064respond \u200dto a request\u200b for comment regarding the \u200bhiring of Saeed Ahmad.\u2064 It is worth noting\u2063 that Sidley Austin\u200d boasts \u200chigh-profile clients\u2064 like KKR,\u200b The Carlyle Group, and\u200b Siris Capital, among others.<\/p>\n<p>The Muslim Law Students Association at \u200cHarvard \u200bwas one of more than 30 student groups that<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On June 29, 2023, executive members of a Harvard Law student group, expressing support for Hamas, will join prestigious law firms on the Harvard University campus. A leading American law firm has recently hired one of these members, despite the group&#8217;s statement blaming Hamas for a horrific weekend incident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":2068447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2068446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2068446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/176"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2068446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2068446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2068447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2068446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2068446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2068446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}