Willkie Joins UC Berkeley Antisemitism Suit for Jewish Groups

Willkie Farr & Gallagher is stepping into a lawsuit against University of California-Berkeley over alleged antisemitism.

The firm’s lawyers on March 28 sought to join the case, brought by Jewish groups that blame the school for the “longstanding, unchecked spread of antisemitism” that spiked after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.

President Donald Trump’s administration is scrutinizing top law firms for their pro bono work and ties to his perceived enemies, leaving many to explore ways to help them stay off the targets list. Paul Weiss and Skadden recently struck deals with Trump to dedicate a combined $140 million to work on White House priorities, including cases alleging antisemitism.

Willkie earlier this year hired Doug Emhoff, who is married to former Vice President Kamala Harris. Like other Big Law firms, it has handled pro bono cases that could be seen as antagonistic to Trump. The firm represented Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation verdict against Rudy Giuliani, a former lawyer for Trump, and has won victories protecting gender-affirming care in public health plans.

Willkie has not been targeted by Trump, who singled out Covington & Burling, Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, and WilmerHale over the last month. It’s also not on a larger list of firms facing federal discrimination probes over diversity programs.

A source familiar with Willkie’s work said the firm had agreed to take the case prior to the Paul Weiss episode, and that the law allows the firm to ask for the defendants to pay its attorneys’ fees if the plaintiffs are successful.

Willkie did not respond to a request for comment.

The UC Berkeley suit was originally filed in late 2023 by The Louis D. Brandeis Center Inc. and Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education. Torridon Law—a boutique law firm launched Trump Bill Barr, who served as US Attorney General during Trump’s first term—and Los Angeles-based litigation boutique, Ellis George have been steering the suit.

The Willkie filing says it is replacing the Ellis George lawyers in the case.

The groups allege that Jewish students and professors have been victims of violence, harassment, and exclusion on campus. UC Berkeley “failed to respond to the ongoing targeting and harassment in the manner required by law,” they say.

Willkie partners Lee Wolosky, Alex Weingarten, and Andrew Lichtman will handle the case. Wolosky is a former Jenner & Block partner who joined Willkie in February. He worked in the Biden White House to help resettle Afghan evacuees and advise on other issues related to the military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Lichtman joined Willkie from Jenner in the same move with Wolosky.

Weingarten leads the firm’s entertainment litigation practice and is helming Willkie’s fast-paced buildout of a Los Angeles office. His relationship with Emhoff dates back 20 years to their time at the law firm Venable. Weingarten and Emhoff also have long histories with Los Angeles-based Jewish non-profit legal organization Ben Tzedek.

The Regents of the University of California, who are defendants in the case, are represented by Munger Tolles & Olson. The a law firm—where Vice President JD Vance’s wife Usha Vance worked until late last year—is spearheading an effort to garner Big Law support for an amicus brief condemning Trump’s executive orders against law firms.

The case is: The Louis D. Brandeis Center, Inc. et al v. Regents of the University of California et al., N.D. Cal., 3:23-cv-06133, 3/27/25