By MATT CHANDLER
Buffalo Law Journal

When attorney John Feroleto and his wife, Paula, a state Supreme Court justice, came up with the idea of starting a legal internship program in the City of Buffalo, they weren't sure what to expect.

Now, as what the Feroletos hope will be the first of many summer programs winds down this week, those involved have labeled the mentoring effort a great success.

"The firms that took on interns had nothing but great things to say about the students," Feroleto said, "and the students really enjoyed being downtown, working in the offices, and contributing to these firms. Every single person I spoke to thought it was a great success."

Eight students were paired with law firms this summer. While he had initially hoped to have more students involved, Feroleto said it came down to a time crunch in getting the program off the ground, and he expects the numbers to swell next summer as more firms come on board.

"There may have been some hesitation with some firms who were concerned that they would have to babysit the kids," he said. "But that was a misconception. These kids were very independent and able to get their instructions and run with the ball."

Attorney John Trigilio was among those who took on an intern in the pilot program - Holy Angels Academy student Autumn Green. Trigilio said he feels the program was beneficial to both sides.

"Autumn was great. She is a real personable kid, and it was nice to be able to show her the ropes on some different things. It was a good experience," he said. "People sometimes get the wrong impression of what goes on in an office, but I think she realized how busy everyone is and how professional everyone is, and I think that helped her."

For Green, who at 16 is already mapping out a future that includes plans to attend Penn State University, pursuing a major in journalism with a minor in law, the program offered her valuable insight into the legal profession.

"It has made me more interested (in pursuing a legal career)," she said. "It just tells me what kind of law I like and, when I go to college, what kind of law I want to take up."

Green said the internship was "nothing like I expected," and said the chance to work in a law office while still in high school was exciting.

"It's hard work, and it takes a lot of dedication, but once I tackled the basics, it has been good," she said. "I've gotten to know people, and it has been interesting to see all the different cases and all the courts."

Trigilio said that was part of the approach he took in mapping out Green's summer role at the firm.

"We didn't want to just give her busy work, and we tried to give her some things that were more that just menial tasks," he said. "We had her go over and file paperwork with the courts, and I took her into the courtroom with me a few times just so she could get a feel for what we do in our jobs."

It is an approach that Heath Szymczak, administrator of the litigation practice group at Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel LLP, took with his intern as well. Szymczak - who got his first taste of the law working as a summer intern for Feroleto while in high school - was happy to repay the favor when he read about the program his former mentor was launching.

"We had taken on some interns from Bennett High School in the past, so I've had some good experiences with students from the Buffalo Public Schools," he said.

Szymczak, who said he hopes to see the program grow in numbers in the years to come, talked about the personal satisfaction that comes from the opportunity to mentor aspiring legal professionals.

"As lawyers, I think we are pretty blessed to be able to work in this profession, and while our obligation is first and foremost to our clients, I think we have an obligation to our community as well," he said. "Sometimes it's hard to figure out how you can give back in a very specific, discreet, tangible way, and with this program, it was so rewarding."