The Law Center is pleased to announce a new gift from former Board Chairman Barry Schwartz to support our public education work. Mr. Schwartz served as Board Chair in 1989 and is currently executive vice chairman of MacAndrews & Forbes.

“We are thrilled by Mr. Schwartz’s generous support,” said Jennifer Clarke, executive director of the Law Center. “This gift will directly support our critical work to ensure all students have access to a high-quality public education regardless of their geography, race or economic status.”

“For more than 45 years, the Law Center has been a relentless voice for fairness and an indispensable force for justice in the City of Philadelphia,” said Mr. Schwartz. “The Law Center’s dedicated attorneys take on the biggest problems facing the city and deliver for those most in need. I am deeply grateful for all the Law Center does and proud to support its work.”

Mr. Schwartz was elected to the Law Center’s Board of Directors in 1984, then to the position of chair in 1989, shortly before he relocated to New York City. He was a partner at the former law firm Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen.

In November 2014, the Law Center and lawyers from the Education Law Center and O’Melveny & Myers LLP filed suit against Pennsylvania state officials for failing to fulfill their constitutional obligation to provide for a “thorough and efficient system” of public education. The Law Center is also a founding member of The Campaign for Fair Education Funding, a statewide coalition working toward a legislative solution for the school funding crisis. Mr. Schwartz’s contribution will support staff in these and other public education projects.

“We are inspired by Mr. Schwartz’s generosity and his confidence in our work,” said Eric Rothschild, chair of the Board of Directors. “Members of today’s board continue to work hard to make sure our organization is well-equipped to carry out its anti-poverty mission.”

The Law Center is grateful to all who support our mission to use legal strategies to break down barriers to fundamental services such as public education, health care, a safe and healthy neighborhood, housing, employment, and the right to vote.

If you would like to support the Law Center, click here to donate.