Northwestern University Publishes Paul, Weiss Report Following Independent Review

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, Bloomberg Law, CBS News and others, Paul, Weiss completed its independent review of the processes and accountability mechanisms in place at Northwestern University to detect, report and respond to potential misconduct in its athletic programs, including hazing, bullying and discrimination.

Paul, Weiss was retained by Northwestern in July 2023 to lead the review following public allegations of hazing in certain of the school's athletic programs and the high-profile termination of the head football coach. Northwestern committed at the time to making the results of the review public.

Over the next 11 months, the Paul, Weiss team examined the reporting processes and accountability mechanisms in place at Northwestern to identify and address threats to the welfare of student-athletes, as well as the culture of the athletic department and its relationship to the university's academic mission. As part of its review, the team engaged extensively with the Northwestern community, interviewing more than 120 current and former student-athletes, non-athlete students, coaches, athletics department administrators and staff, faculty, university administrators and trustees.

The 48-page report describes key observations from the review and sets forth recommendations for areas of improvement. Northwestern President Michael Schill noted that the Paul, Weiss team's "diligent examination of the Athletics culture is an instrumental part of our path towards continuous improvement, and we are committed to implementing their recommendations."

The Paul, Weiss team was led by litigation partners Loretta Lynch, Richard Tarlowe and Brette Tannenbaum, and included partner Bruce Birenboim.