Columbia Hires Wall Street Lawyers for Student Protest Probes

Columbia University is using lawyers from Manhattan’s Debevoise & Plimpton to investigate student misconduct complaints stemming from recent pro-Palestine protests on campus.

A group of mostly junior Debevoise lawyers has reached out to students on behalf of the university to conduct interviews, according to two students who were contacted. The attorneys referred to themselves as “interim hearing officers” for Columbia, used school-provided email addresses, and listed phone numbers connected to the university. They include at least four associates and one counsel from the elite firm, emails provided by the students show.

Columbia, Debevoise, and the attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.

The university’s West Lawn is experiencing a moment of reprieve as on-campus protests wind down and many students head off for the summer. The weeks-long, pro-Palestine demonstrations resulted in more than 100 arrests and multiple lawsuits, as well as threats of suspension and expulsion for students.

The investigations relate to complaints filed to the school by and against students who participated in some of the events, including a “Resistance 101" panel discussion. Columbia University President Minouche Shafik said in an April 5 statement that the panel “featured speakers who are known to support terrorism and promote violence.” Shafik said the school “hired an outside investigation firm to uncover all the facts” surrounding the event.

The investigations also touch on complaints filed by student protesters alleging harassment and improper enforcement of university regulations to quell student protests.

Debevoise is a nearly century-old law firm whose clients have included JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs. It reported more than $1.3 billion in gross revenue last year, ranking among the country’s 40 largest law firms.

Mary Jo White, a Columbia Law graduate who led the Securities and Exchange Commission during the Obama administration, is the firm’s senior chair.

White advised members of the Sackler family controlling Purdue Pharma LP over claims that the company’s marketing of OxyContin contributed to the opioids crisis. She also was tapped by the National Football League to investigate claims of workplace sexual harassment by former Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder.

At least one of the Debevoise lawyers working for Columbia—counsel Sarah Wolf—advised the Sacklers, according to the firm’s website. Junior associates Amela Bajramovic, Grant Simon, Jeremy Liss, and Adrianna Finger are also working as hearing officers for Columbia, the emails show.

“Our role at the Center for Student Success and Intervention is to thoroughly investigate reports such as the one you filed,” Simon told one student in an email. “As part of our investigation into the incidents you described, it would be extremely helpful to speak with you.”

Colleges across the US have seen a wave of protests related to the Israel-Hamas war, along with accusations of antisemitism and harassment on campus. The school faces lawsuits over its handling of the protests, including one by a Jewish student claiming that Columbia failed to take adequate steps to combat violence and harassment on campus.

Latham & Watkins, another major law firm, is handling at least one similar investigation at New York University Law School and the City University of New York. That includes a probe involving an NYU law student who filed a harassment claim at NYU. Winston & Strawn revoked the student’s job offer over remarks blaming Israel for Oct. 7 Hamas attack on the country.

Columbia has deep ties to Debevoise, whose attorneys have represented the school in various lawsuits. Michael Blair, the firm’s managing partner for more than two decades until 2022, is a professor at Columbia Law School.

Debevoise was one of more than 250 law firms that signed onto a November 2023 letter to law school deans condemning antisemitism and Islamophobia.