Photographs of three NYLS alumni: Nicole Sheindlin '93, Sarah Rose '22, and Judge Judy Sheindlin '65

Judge Judy Sheindlin Makes Legacy Gift to New York Law School to Support Women in the Law

Photographs of three NYLS alumni: Nicole Sheindlin '93, Sarah Rose '22, and Judge Judy Sheindlin '65

The Transformative Gift Celebrates Three Generations of Women in Judge Sheindlin’s Family at NYLS

New York, NY (January 5, 2022) – Television icon Judge Judy Sheindlin ’65 and New York Law School (NYLS) Dean Anthony W. Crowell today announced a historic gift that will create substantial, new opportunities for women to attend law school and become leaders in the legal profession.

Three generations of women from Judge Sheindlin’s family have attended NYLS: her daughter Nicole Sheindlin ’93, her granddaughter Sarah Rose, who is set to graduate this spring, and the Judge herself, who graduated in 1965.

The gift establishes the Judge Judy Sheindlin Honors Scholars Program and formalizes an enduring partnership with Her Honor Mentoring, one of the region’s most prominent mentoring programs for young women founded and developed by Judge Sheindlin and Nicole Sheindlin in 2006. When fully implemented, NYLS will host 10 women annually with excellent credentials and demonstrated financial need who will receive a full-tuition scholarship, book stipend, and a summer employment fellowship after their first year of law school.

“Judge Judy Sheindlin is one of the most prominent graduates in our school’s history,” said Anthony W. Crowell, NYLS Dean and President. “Her gift is a profound commitment to women aspiring to attend law school, and will ensure they have the opportunity to gain a first-class education and become leaders throughout the profession. I am proud that women are now the majority of our student body, and they have an extraordinary role model and champion in Judge Sheindlin. I look forward to working with her, Nicole, and Sarah, to support our women students and giving them the tools to succeed.”

“New York Law School has evolved into a welcoming and nurturing institution since I graduated in 1965,” said Judge Judy Sheindlin. “It is a joy for me to be able to support talented women in their pursuit of a career in the law. Independent and focused women not only enrich the profession, but the world.”

Women now make up over 62 percent of the overall NYLS student body. The partnership with Her Honor Mentoring is critical and will provide girls and women an opportunity to learn about law as a career pathway. Those who wish to pursue a degree will have an opportunity to participate in the NYLS Law School Pipeline Program and receive support including law-related classwork and projects, pre-law counseling, free professional LSAT preparation, and application assistance.

“Judge Judy Sheindlin is a historic and ground-breaking alumna,” said Arthur Abbey ’59, Chair of the NYLS Board of Trustees, “This immensely generous gift is invaluable to our women students and will give opportunities to women from all backgrounds and walks of life. I am deeply proud that NYLS is a preeminent institution for women to pursue their dreams and lead our profession into the future.”

Judge Judy Sheindlin is the presiding judge on Judy Justice, which premiered in November 2021 on Amazon’s free streaming service IMDb TV. Her granddaughter Sarah Rose serves as her Law Clerk on the series.

In September 2021, Judge Sheindlin wrapped a historic 25 year-run of The Emmy Award-winning Judge Judy, one of the most successful programs in the history of television. Judge Judy finished as the #1 program in first-run syndication for 12 consecutive seasons and was #1 in daytime from 1998–99 season until it concluded in 2021.

Judge Sheindlin created the television court hit Hot Bench and has written several best-selling books. Over the past two decades, Judge Sheindlin has won numerous accolades and awards from the legal, academic and media worlds, and she has sponsored worthy philanthropic initiatives. Judge Sheindlin was appointed to the bench by Mayor Ed Koch in 1982 and was the Supervising Judge at Manhattan Family Court, for a decade, from 1986 to 1996, just three blocks from NYLS, before starting her career in broadcasting. After graduating NYLS, she worked as an Assistant Corporation Counsel at the New York City Law Department Family Court Division, where many of the School’s alumni currently work.