Naomi Perla, Esq.

Sometimes, life leads you down an unexpected road, and for Naomi Perla, that road led exactly where she’s meant to be. With a dream of opening a dance studio, she enrolled at Touro University to earn her degree in Business Management. However, after realizing dancing wasn’t her future, a Business Law class introduced her to a legal career. “This class started me on a new journey which ultimately led to me enrolling in law school.”

Naomi had already acquired college credits through Touro’s freshman center in high school and during her gap year in Israel, so she finished her degree in just two and a half years. “I was able to jump-start my degree, customize my course load, and develop fundamental skills in an environment that was attentive to my needs. That made Touro the perfect choice for my undergrad studies.” She also found plenty of resources and support when she decided to apply to law school. “Touro's faculty and administration helped guide me by offering a listening ear and providing me with advice.”

After Touro, Naomi attended NYU Law School and now works as a general litigator at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Her cases have spanned everything from trademark and copyright to false advertising and defamation – and much more. Later this year, she plans to officially join the intellectual property law group and focus on cases in the creative space. “I found that it was a great way to merge my creative past with my legal career,” she explains.

The challenges of being a lawyer are different every day, and the learning curve often keeps her on her toes, but Naomi knows from her time at Touro just how rewarding it can be to embrace the unexpected and she isn’t afraid to put in the hard work. “It feels pretty good when you can see it come together and know that it's your accomplishment. I think that goes with anything in life. The harder you work for something, the better it feels when you acquire it.”