New Legal Network Launches to Combat Rising Antisemitism in America

In a powerful response to the alarming surge in antisemitic incidents across the United States, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has joined forces with prestigious law firm Gibson Dunn to establish a nationwide network providing free legal aid to Jewish Americans facing harassment, vandalism, and violence. Announced on Wednesday, the ADL Legal Action Network brings together more than 40 of the nation’s leading law firms—including Cooley, Covington & Burling, Morgan Lewis, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, and Lieff Cabraser—creating a massive pro bono coalition representing approximately 39,000 attorneys across 35 states. This unprecedented legal alliance comes at a critical moment when FBI data confirms Jews continue to be the most targeted religious group in America, accounting for over 70% of all reported religious hate crimes, according to Orin Snyder, a partner at Gibson Dunn who is helping to spearhead the initiative.

The urgency behind this effort becomes clear when examining recent statistics. Since the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, there has been a staggering 757% increase in hate crimes directed at Jews in the United States. Even more concerning, Snyder indicates that the 2024-2025 period is expected to show even higher numbers, underscoring the timeliness of this legal action movement. The network builds upon the successful Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL), a hotline that Gibson Dunn and the ADL launched in 2023 specifically to address antisemitism on college campuses. That original effort received nearly 1,000 complaints from more than 260 schools across 40 states, revealing the breadth of the problem in academic settings alone. “We were overwhelmed with complaints from campuses,” Snyder explained. “And then we started getting inundated with reports from outside of universities—from workplaces, K-12 schools, and communities. That’s when we realized this needed to be a national pro bono initiative.”

The new system will employ AI-powered triage technology to efficiently route cases through ADL’s incident-response network to the appropriate participating law firms, which will then determine whether to take on victims’ cases directly. The scope of legal assistance is comprehensive, covering all forms of antisemitism—from physical assaults and vandalism to online harassment, doxxing, and discrimination in educational or employment settings. “It really covers all forms of antisemitism—including, most obviously, acts of violence, of which there are all too many,” Snyder noted. This broad approach recognizes the multifaceted nature of antisemitism in contemporary America and aims to provide targeted legal support regardless of how hatred manifests itself, whether in physical spaces or the digital realm.

The effectiveness of this approach has already been demonstrated through the original campus antisemitism hotline, which has produced significant results. At Ohio State University, a hotline report contributed to a man pleading guilty to a federal hate-crime charge after attacking two Jewish students near campus. Similarly, at Princeton University, another report prompted a comprehensive policy overhaul after a Jewish student was wrongfully targeted with a no-contact order while simply covering anti-Israel protests. These success stories highlight how legal intervention can not only address individual cases but also drive systemic changes in how institutions respond to antisemitism. The expansion of this model to a national scale promises to multiply such positive outcomes across diverse settings throughout American society.

Gibson Dunn, which dedicated more than 200,000 hours to pro bono work last year alone, will serve as the anchor for this expansive legal network. The firm is committing over 100 of its own lawyers specifically to this project while coordinating the efforts of approximately 40 partner firms. “Our pro bono practice dwarfs every other practice we have—meaning paying clients,” Snyder emphasized. “We have a long history of doing this, and we’re bringing that same energy here.” This commitment reflects a growing recognition among America’s top law firms that combating antisemitism requires not only public condemnation but also concrete legal action to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable. The substantial resources being mobilized demonstrate the legal community’s determination to address what many see as a crisis of growing antisemitism in American society.

For the ADL, an organization that has long been at the forefront of fighting antisemitism and bigotry, this partnership represents a significant enhancement of its capabilities. “For decades, victims of antisemitism have come to ADL to receive frontline services,” explained ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. “Through this partnership with Gibson Dunn, alongside dozens of the world’s top-tier law firms, we are now dramatically expanding our capabilities to support more Jewish Americans by helping to provide direct access to legal support anywhere in the country.” By combining the ADL’s expertise in monitoring and responding to antisemitism with the legal firepower of leading law firms, this network aims to ensure that Jewish Americans facing hate and discrimination have immediate access to high-quality legal representation regardless of their location or financial means. As antisemitic incidents continue to rise nationwide, this initiative stands as a powerful statement that America’s legal community will not stand idly by while hatred targets the Jewish community.