Law firm’s alleged conflict in environmental case sparks student boycott
By Priscilla DeGregory
Nearly 300 students from 52 law schools around the country including Harvard and NYU are boycotting working for a law firm they claim has a conflict of interest handling the case of environmental lawyer Steven Donziger, according to a report.
Lawyers of firm Seward & Kissel were appointed by the government as special prosecutors in Donziger’s criminal contempt of court case accusing him of refusing a request to hand over his cell phone and computer, the New York Law Journal reported.
In a letter the students sent to Seward on Wednesday, they claimed that the firm has a conflict in prosecuting the criminal case for Donzinger — who helped secure an $8.6 billion judgment against Chevron in Ecuador — as Seward has represented Chevron in numerous other unrelated matters, the outlet reported.