A fifth of the 20 new prosecutors appointed to the Queens district attorney’s office are recent graduates of St. John’s University School of Law.
Acting Queens District Attorney John M. Ryan announced Wednesday that Nicholas Balboni, Mark S. Luccarelli, Kathleen Modica and Emily R. Santoro are new assistant district attorneys.
Over the last several weeks, the Fromkes Hall products added to their knowledge of the law through lectures, courtroom observation, and mock hearings. They also received practical, hands-on experience by participating in simulations at the New York Police Department’s Tactics House and studying firearms at the Police Department’s outdoor firing range.
The course also included visits to correctional institutions and alternative sentencing programs and beginning next week, the 20 new ADAs will go on patrol with NYPD officers.
Three of the new prosecutors, Vivian Gonzalez, Natash Levy and Vasiliki Sakellararidis are graduates of Fordham University School of Law and Brooklyn Law School graduate Gabriella Giunta, City University of New York Law School’s Asya Abb and New York Law School’s Daniel F. Martorelli round out the graduates from New York City schools.
“Following a highly-selective recruitment process, we have chosen 20 new assistant district attorneys to join the office,” Ryan said. “They are bright professionals with law degrees from some of the finest law schools in this country. I want to applaud each and every one of them for choosing public service and I am proud to appoint them to serve the people of Queens County. I know that they will serve with distinction.”
Two of the new ADAs graduated from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in White Plains, one hails from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University and one represents the University at Buffalo School of Law. The remaining new ADAs come from out of state.
These new assistants will be assigned to either the Criminal Court/Intake Bureau or the Domestic Violence Bureau. Thereafter, they will be offered the opportunity for assignments in the Appeals Bureau and the Investigation Division.
After that, they will enter an intensive training program prior to being assigned to the Supreme Court Trial Bureau.
