Law firms ask Tel Aviv lawyers to work at home; ABA president condemns Hamas attacks

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Bar Associations Law firms ask Tel Aviv lawyers to work at home; ABA president condemns Hamas attacks

By Debra Cassens Weiss

October 10, 2023, 11:23 am CDT

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“The American Bar Association unequivocally condemns the attacks of Hamas on Israeli citizens that have killed hundreds,” said ABA President Mary Smith. Photo from Shutterstock.

Law firms are asking their lawyers in Tel Aviv, Israel, to work at home following attacks by Hamas militants that have generated statements of concern by lawyers, bar associations and the president of the ABA.

Lawyers working in Tel Aviv for Greenberg Traurig, CMS and Sullivan & Worcester are working at home, Law.com reports.

Greenberg Traurig has 19 lawyers in Tel Aviv, one of the areas targeted by Hamas. The firm issued this statement to Law.com: “All of our employees in Tel Aviv are accounted for and sheltering at home where they are working remotely. We are in regular touch and providing support as needed. We stand with the many innocent people who have died or been injured as a result of this terrorist attack.”

ABA President Mary Smith issued a statement Oct. 9.

“The American Bar Association unequivocally condemns the attacks of Hamas on Israeli citizens that have killed hundreds,” Smith said. “The kidnapping of helpless civilians by Hamas—including women and children abducted at gunpoint—for use in Gaza as hostages and human shields violates international laws.

“Brutal attacks on civilians are never a solution to disputes or a justifiable way to air grievances. Israel and the Palestinians have had long-running disagreements and differences, but that in no way justifies the actions of Hamas. The state of Israel has the right to exist, and its citizens are entitled to live in safety and peace.

“The ABA calls on both sides to show restraint to spare the lives of the innocent people caught up in these attacks. The ABA also calls for all hostages to be released and for all parties to stop hostilities and settle their disputes in a peaceful and legal fashion and with the rule of law.”

New York State Bar Association President Richard Lewis also issued a statement Oct. 9 that called the Hamas attacks “abhorrent and unforgivable.”

The attacks “flagrantly violate the United Nations Charter, Helsinki Accords and established norms and principles of international law,” Lewis said.

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