DLA Piper fired Yasmeen Elagha for being Palestinian. Now she's fighting back.
Dylan Blaha at Let's Address Illinois:
So far, this decade has been historically bad for civil and human rights in America. Donald Trump’s current regime has served as an accelerant. Bigotry and hate are rising across America. We see it in the workplace and at the grocery store. Anti-Black racism, misogyny, islamophobia, antisemitism, anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric, and more. Yasmeen Elagha, a Muslim, Arab, Palestinian and Gazan attorney, experienced a dose of this hate firsthand. Her law firm terminated her 26 days after she disclosed her Palestinian identity.
Yasmeen’s story
Yasmeen Elagha, a daughter of Palestinian refugees, spent her life building a legal career that would honor her parents’ sacrifice. In the summer of 2023, she worked as a Summer Associate at DLA Piper’s Chicago office. She was the only Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian person in the room - the only woman wearing a hijab. At the time, firm associates warned her that support for Palestine was not tolerated at the company. Because of this, Yasmeen felt compelled to hide her necklace with a map of Palestine under her shirt when she went to work every day.
When Israel began their genocide in Gaza in late 2023, more than 200 of Elagha’s family members, including US citizens, were killed, displaced or taken hostage. She spoke publicly on their behalf, identifying herself as a Palestinian and Gazan. In June 2024, Elagha disclosed her Palestinian identity to DLA Piper, in writing, while filing out onboarding materials. Twenty-six days later, the firm fired her. This act of termination did not just cost Elagha her job. It effectively “blackballed” her from a sector of the legal field she had worked her entire life to enter.
“My unjust termination from DLA Piper derailed the trajectory of my entire future,” Elagha said in a statement. “As the child of Palestinian refugees, I dedicated my life to reaching heights that would honor my parents’ sacrifices and my people’s perseverance. But simply because of who I am, and my pleas for the innocent lives of family members I lost in Gaza, I was punished, berated, and discarded.” When firing her, DLA Piper claimed Elagha failed to disclose a criminal matter. However, Elagha has never been charged with a crime, and no criminal proceeding of any kind has ever existed against her. Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law confirmed this in a letter sent directly to DLA Piper, and the Illinois Bar admitted her to practice. Despite this, DLA Piper maintained the termination. In response, Elagha filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against DLA Piper. The lawsuit (Case No. 26-cv-5435, N.D. Ill.) brings nine counts under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 42 U.S.C. § 1981 for race, national origin, and religion-based discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation.
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DLA Piper’s track record of bigoted hatred and institutionalized discrimination
As you may have expected, DLA Piper’s bigotry against Elagha did not occur in a vacuum. In November 2023, the law firm co-signed a letter to law school Deans warning of recruiting consequences for students who did not adopt the firm’s position against Palestine (yes, this really happened). After Elagha’s termination, the firm hosted a continuing legal education seminar, where a speaker called Palestinians “devils” and associated Muslim and Arab organizations with terrorism. Elagha also possesses pending federal claims against Northwestern University for education discrimination. “Taken together, these matters raise serious concerns about institutionalized efforts to punish protected identity and suppress advocacy against injustice,” a statement from Elagha’s legal team read.
Ardently pro-Israel Apartheid law firm DLA Piper’s shameful firing of Yasmeen Elagha for being Palestinian reeks of bigotry.
