Feroleto '82 Appointed Administrative Judge of 8th Judicial District

State Supreme Court Justice Paula Feroleto '82 becomes the second woman to head the Buffalo-based district.

By Matt Gryta, Buffalo News Staff Reporter

As State Supreme Court Justice Paula L. Feroleto on Monday, August 31 became only the second woman to take control of the Buffalo-based Eighth Judicial District, she was praised by state court officials for her dedication and intelligence.

Ann Pfau, the state's chief administrative judge, called Feroleto "an outstanding judge who is eminently qualified to handle the critical challenges of her new position."

Feroleto, 52, succeeds State Supreme Court Justice Sharon S. Townsend of Williamsville. Feroleto and eight other judges seeking the administrative post underwent a final round of closed-door interviews in Buffalo about a week ago.

Pfau said from her New York City office that Feroleto "has proved herself to be a dedicated and intelligent jurist as well as an outstanding and experienced lawyer."

In announcing the appointment, Pfau said she is confident Feroleto will focus on the wellbeing of the district's judges and courts "as well as the citizens they serve."

Feroleto comes from a family steeped in the law. She is the wife of attorney John P. Feroleto and mother of Erie County Assistant District Attorney John P. Feroleto. The couple's two other children are University at Buffalo Law School students.

Born in Kingston, Ont., and raised in Rochester, Feroleto graduated from Georgetown University in 1978 and UB Law School in 1982. In 1991, she became the first female partner in the Buffalo law firm of Brown & Kelly. She was elected to the state trial bench in November 2004. It was her second run for the state court seat.

She is currently president of the State Supreme Court Justices Association in the Eighth Judicial District. A lifelong Democrat, she was the first female president of the Western New York Trial Lawyers Association.

As a busy private attorney, she was active for years in pro bono legal work through the local Volunteer Lawyers Project. Before she was elected to the bench, she was a board member of Lawyers for Learning, which provides tutors for inner-city children.

She succeeds Townsend, who, since May, has been vice dean for family and matrimonial law at the state's Judicial Institute in White Plains. Townsend had agreed to continue serving as administrative judge of the eight-county district until a successor was named.