A new $500,000 gift to the PCLJ, plus a gift match of up to $500,000 for each of the next four years

NEW YORK – January 29, 2026 – The Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at Cardozo School of Law (PCLJ), a part of Yeshiva University, announced an additional $500,000 gift from the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Foundation building on the Foundation’s original gift that established the Perlmutter Center in the fall of 2022 and bringing their total contribution to $16 million. In addition to this new gift, for every $500,000 raised by the PCLJ, the Foundation will match funding up to $500,000 every year over the next four years, increasing the potential amount of the gifts to $18 million. The Foundation’s original gift was the largest in the law school’s history. It helped pave the way for PCLJ’s achievements which attracted additional major investment from Milbank LLP and others. 

Since its establishment, the Perlmutter Center has worked on numerous cases, successfully educating practicing attorneys about the use of forensic evidence and helping wrongfully incarcerated individuals gain release from prison, winning clemency appeals and working to reduce sentences for individuals given overly harsh prison terms. 

“My dear friends Ike and Laurie Perlmutter embody our University’s core mission to be a blessing to the world,” said Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University. “Their founding and expansion of the Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at Cardozo represents a profound commitment to the fight for justice and human dignity which is the hallmark of our law school.” 

PCLJ has provided Cardozo students with hands-on experience and exposure through The Freedom Clinic at the Perlmutter Center, one of Cardozo’s 11 in-house clinics under The Kwanza Jones and José Feliciano Program in Clinical Education. The Freedom Clinic teaches students how to approach wrongful convictions based on the misuse of scientific evidence and provides the opportunity for students to work on real cases, overseen by PCLJ’s attorneys. 

“We are immensely proud of the Perlmutter Center’s work and the impact it has achieved in such a short period of time. The team’s dedication to its unjustly incarcerated clients, its advocacy against the misuse of forensic evidence, and its efforts to advance meaningful improvements in the criminal legal system both inspire and transform the educational experience of our students,” said Melanie Leslie ’91, Dean of Cardozo School of Law. “We are deeply grateful to the Perlmutters for their continued generosity, support, and enduring commitment to the law school.” 

PCLJ is overseen by Executive Director Josh Dubin, a prominent civil rights attorney with a wealth of experience in high profile civil and criminal cases. The Deputy Director is Derrick Hamilton, a criminal justice reform advocate and formerly incarcerated individual who served more than 20 years in prison where he studied law and represented himself, successfully having his sentence vacated. Together Dubin and Hamilton have greatly expanded the Perlmutter Center since its establishment, working to bring in a team of individuals to grow PCLJ’s influence in the criminal justice space. Most recently, PCLJ welcomed Benjamin Burger ’05 and Karena Rahall as Senior Staff Attorneys. 

“The Perlmutter Center is dedicated to taking on the cases of those individuals who have often been passed over, and even forgotten, by our criminal justice system and are in need of a second chance,” said Dubin. “It’s due to the Perlmutter family that we are able to provide the essential legal support and guidance that these individuals would otherwise not have access to.” 

Thanks to the support and generosity of the Perlmutters, in 2024, the Perlmutter Center drew the attention of one of the most prestigious law firms in the country, Milbank LLP. As a result, Milbank pledged $1 million to PCLJ to establish the Milbank Exoneration and Resentencing Review Unit at the Perlmutter Center. Milbank LLP announced a four-year partnership with PCLJ to combat inequities in the criminal justice system and focus on wrongful convictions, excessive sentences and clemency appeals. The firm will announce an additional investment shortly. 

With today’s new gift from the Perlmutter Foundation, PCLJ will have the opportunity to deepen its impact, enable current casework to expand, support new cases, and provide more resources for ongoing cases. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice at Cardozo School of Law, visit: https://cardozo.yu.edu/PerlmutterCenterforLegalJustice. 

ABOUT THE PERLMUTTER CENTER FOR LEGAL JUSTICE AT CARDOZO LAW The Perlmutter Center for Legal Justice trains students and lawyers in the proper use of scientific evidence, focusing on the misuse of forensic science that potentially contributes to wrongful convictions. In addition, the Center seeks justice for those individuals incarcerated with excessive sentences through parole work and clemency requests. The Perlmutter Center was established through a $15-million philanthropic donation from the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Foundation.