We were lucky to catch up with Deedee Bitran recently and have shared our conversation below.

Deedee, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Early in your career, how did you think through the decision of whether to start your own firm or join an established firm?

In law school, a classmate posted an article about Israel on her social media and advocated for stabbing Jews because “they are our oppressors.” That was my first real exposure to how the line between criticism of the only Jewish state can so easily cross into blatant antisemitism. Shortly thereafter, another classmate posted to his social media blaming Jews for all of the world’s troubles, denying that the Holocaust occurred, and stating that Jews own the media. After witnessing a few more similar antisemitic incidents, I realized how important it is to combat antisemitism (and all forms of hatred) with facts and educational efforts. I wrote an article titled “‘Anti-Israel’, a Camouflage Platform for Antisemitism” which was published by the National Law Review and the FIU Law Review. Additionally, my article won the Holocaust Remembrance Essay Award from the University of Alberta.

After law school, I joined Shutts and Bowen LLP (“Shutts”), Miami’s oldest law firm, as a business litigation and employment law attorney. I remained involved in the Jewish community through various advocacy efforts and leadership roles.

When October 7th hit, my life was forever changed. I have friends and family in Israel and still vividly remember that horrible October 7th day. As I watched the news cover Hamas’ massacre, I felt helpless, heartbroken, and terrified. I communicated with my loved ones in Israel via WhatsApp and prayed for frequent responses to confirm that they were still alive. As my loved ones hid shaking in shelters and one of my cousins threw on his IDF uniform to run to help, I watched video footage of Hamas terrorists roaming Israel and hunting Israelis. Hamas terrorists shouted “Jew”, “dog” and “allah akbar” as they tortured, kidnapped, raped, and murdered Israelis. I could not protect the men, women, and children who were targeted by Hamas on that tragic day and I was devastated.

Following October 7th, a wave of antisemitism worldwide erupted. At Yale, a Jewish student was stabbed in the eye with a Palestinian flag by an anti-Israel protester. At Columbia, when a small group of students held American and Israeli flags in front of the Columbia protest, a young demonstrator stood in front of them with a sign that read, ‘Al-Qasam’s Next Targets,’ a reference to the wing of Hamas that led the Oct. 7 attacks. At Saint Andrews University, a student had his Jewish star necklace ripped off his neck by an anti-Israel protester. At UCLA, a student shared a video of him wearing a Jewish star necklace as he attempted to peacefully enter the main entrance of UCLA’s campus to get to class and anti-Israel protesters blocked him from doing so, solely based on his religion.

I realized that if there ever was a time to step in and use my legal skills to help combat such hatred, it was now. I acquired valuable litigation skills at a top-notch firm and while I could not help defend Israel on the physical battlefield, I could help fight antisemitism in the United States as a lawyer.

Several months later, I joined StandWithUs as Senior Counsel and Director of Pro Bono while concurrently serving as Of Counsel at Shutts. StandWithUs, an international educational nonprofit, focuses its mission on supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism; its legal team empowers students and community members through a legal response to antisemitism and anti-Israel activity. When intake comes in, we analyze antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents, determine the appropriate response, and provide the legal tools and resources to fight back against antisemitism. This work includes anyone who needs help in K-12, college, or the community, including Jews and Zionist allies. Those who need help can fill out an intake form here – https://www.standwithus.com/report-an-antisemitic-incident

At StandWithUs, my expertise is helping guide employees who are being discriminated against because they are Jewish and/or Israeli. I also help grow and work closely with the StandWithUs pro bono attorney network by partnering with lawyers around the United States on various legal projects. Almost a decade into my career as an attorney, I finally found my “purpose”: to fight antisemitism through education, and when warranted, with the courts. I am very grateful to Shutts and to StandWithUs for giving me the opportunity to help combat discrimination and fight for a more peaceful world.

Deedee, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My work at StandWithUs is exciting, challenging, and meaningful. Every day, I enjoy knowing that I truly helped people seek justice. Sometimes that help involves partnering with firms and filing lawsuits. Other times that help involves sending demand letters and/or counseling callers so that they are best positioned for a lawsuit in the future and aware of their legal rights. I work with doctors, nurses, professors, and other employees to help them analyze workplace discrimination and harassment issues. I facilitate partnerships between StandWithUs and pro bono attorneys to help expand StandWithUs’ pro bono attorney network. Just last month, I helped draft an amicus brief with a pro bono attorney that was filed with the United States Supreme Court in a First Amendment case.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

My three skills that helped build my reputation in the legal arena are my strong work ethic, creativity, and passion. The advice I would give to young lawyers is to work hard early on in your career to gain the skills needed to truly make a difference in this world. When you fully immerse yourself in your career and learn as much as you can, those skills can help set you apart from the rest of the pack professionally. Find your passion and channel it to make this world a better place. My litigation and employment law skills that I acquired in private practice at Shutts translate well into my legal work at StandWithUs. Another piece of advice that I would give to young lawyers is that once you find your passion, write articles about it and strive to become an expert in that field. Writing and publishing articles is a great way to learn, establish credibility, and help educate others. My last piece of advice is to treat every person with dignity and respect – regardless of whether it is a federal court judge, a school crossing guard, or a young student intern. We can learn something from each and every person, and the world is a much better place when people are kind (even when we disagree with one another).

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

StandWithUs has a growing pro bono network of attorneys who have greatly expanded StandWithUs’ capabilities. The demand in intake seeking StandWithUs’ legal help after October 7th has more than tripled. We work with pro bono attorneys to combat antisemitism by getting hate crime charges pressed, representing community members in cases involving defamation, assaults and/or stalking, representing employees and/or students who have been discriminated against/harassed based on their protected class status, and drafting amicus briefs on cutting edge legal issues. Some pro bono attorneys conduct legal research for us and others assist us in a consulting capacity. Pro bono attorneys can be as involved or uninvolved as they want depending on their interests and availability. I encourage every lawyer who wants to help to please contact StandWithUs and get involved. We look forward to working with you and appreciate your assistance. Here is the link to sign up: https://www.standwithus.com/legal-dept-pro-bono-lawyers

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.standwithus.com/legal-our-team; https://www.shutts.com/professionals-deedee-bitran
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deedee-bitran-b233a8b8