By Karen Sloan

May 12 (Reuters) - A former DLA Piper U.S. summer associate sued the prominent international law firm on Monday, claiming it wrongfully terminated her full-time associate job offer in 2024 after learning of her public advocacy for Palestinians.

Northwestern University law graduate Yasmeen Elagha, who is Palestinian, alleged racial and religious discrimination and claimed she was forced to endure a hostile work environment during her summer internship program in DLA Piper's Chicago office in 2023.

Elagha said the firm denied her opportunities offered to non-Arab summer associates and expected her to attend alcohol-centered events that it knew she could not attend due to her religious beliefs.

A DLA Piper spokesperson said Tuesday that the firm "decided against hiring Ms. Elagha as a result of her own unacceptable conduct" and that it did not unlawfully discriminate against her.

"Ms. Elagha’s unlawful termination devastated her career prospects and essentially blackballed her from an entire sector of the legal field she labored tirelessly to enter," said her attorney, Waleed Naser. Elagha is seeking back pay and damages.

Elagha previously sued Illinois' Northwestern University for discrimination in November 2024, claiming it failed to protect her from harassment over her pro-Palestine activism. A federal judge in Chicago dismissed the case in November, finding that Elagha failed to prove her allegations of a hostile educational environment and intentional discrimination. She filed an amended complaint and the case is pending.

The new lawsuit alleges that DLA Piper used Elagha's alleged assault of a fellow student at a Palestine-related protest in November 2023 as a reason to terminate her employment offer. DLA Piper said she failed to disclose that allegation—which was dismissed by Northwestern University—in her new hire questionnaire, according to the complaint. The firm also ignored a July 2024 letter from former Northwestern Law dean Hari Osofsky refuting the assault allegations, Elagha claimed.

DLA Piper "retaliated against her for engaging in protected activity, including advocacy concerning Palestine and opposition to discriminatory conduct,” the complaint said.

Law firm Foley & Lardner is also facing a discrimination lawsuit from a Muslim lawyer in Illinois who said the firm rescinded her job offer because she expressed support for Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war. The firm has denied the claims. A federal judge declined to dismiss that case in January.

Winston & Strawn and Davis Polk & Wardwell also rescinded job offers to law students after they signed controversial letters in support of Hamas following the deadly attack on Israel in October 2023. The law firms said the students' statements conflicted with the firms' values.

Read more:

Judge dismisses Palestinian law student's case against Northwestern University

Law firm that rescinded job for pro-Palestine lawyer must face bias lawsuit

Law firm Davis Polk revokes job offers to Harvard, Columbia students over Israel statements