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who were the attorneys that established the innocence project

The Innocence Project was established by two attorneys: Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld.

Quick Scoop

Who were the attorneys that established the Innocence Project?

The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 as a legal clinic at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University by:

  • Barry C. Scheck, an American attorney and legal scholar known for his role on O. J. Simpson’s “Dream Team” defense and for pioneering the use of DNA evidence in post-conviction cases.
  • Peter J. Neufeld, an American civil rights and criminal defense attorney who, together with Scheck, developed early DNA-based strategies to challenge wrongful convictions.

They created the Innocence Project to use DNA testing to help exonerate people who had been wrongfully convicted and to push for systemic reforms in the criminal justice system.

Mini Background

  • Year founded: 1992, as a clinic at Cardozo School of Law in New York.
  • Founders’ roles: Scheck and Neufeld continue to be listed as co-founders and special counsel at the Innocence Project.
  • Core mission: Exonerate wrongfully convicted people (especially through DNA evidence) and reform policies to prevent future injustices.

In short: The attorneys who established the Innocence Project were Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.