Kurt Perhach

As featured in the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle,

Kurt Perhach's commitment to service began long before his legal career. At age 19, he volunteered to enter jails and teach inmates how to improve their lives — an experience that shaped his deep belief in the power of education, second chances, and human dignity.

Before pursuing law, Kurt served as a Teach For America school teacher in Newark, NJ, bringing the same dedication to his students that he now brings to his clients.

Kurt Perhach is the founder and lead counsel of Elm Ridge Legal Consulting LLC, based in Pennington, New Jersey. He served for 9 years as a Federal Prosecutor in both North Carolina and New Jersey, where he handled complex criminal matters at the federal level and developed a deep command of trial advocacy, government investigations, and prosecutorial strategy. His excellence as a federal prosecutor was recognized in 2015 when he was named Federal Prosecutor of the Year by the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation.

In addition to his civilian practice, Kurt is a Colonel in the United States Army Reserves Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps — Commander of the 117th Legal Operations Detachment and General Counsel for the U.S. Army War College — bringing the discipline, integrity, and leadership of 24 years of military service to every client engagement.

Kurt spent 9 years as in-house counsel advising on global employment law, ethics, healthcare compliance, and corporate investigations. Over his career he has tried more than 60 cases in court and been featured in the New York Times passionately fighting for justice.

His commitment to justice extends beyond the courtroom — he taught law and life skills inside a jail and a prison for over three years, mentored high school seniors applying to U.S. Service Academies, and co-authored published work on veterans' rights.