Joshua Ferullo '26

This summer, I had the opportunity to intern with the Attorneys for Children (AFC) unit at the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo. I worked alongside a small group of friendly attorneys and it was an incredibly valuable and memorable experience. After just finishing my first year of law school, I was still unsure of what I wanted to do. I was interested in family law, especially work involving children as I have always loved being around children.

As a fellow, I was able to sit in on court proceedings, research legal questions, and edit briefs and memoranda.  I helped in multiple stages of the day-to-day work of the attorneys for children. One aspect that really surprised me was how often the AFCs work with other attorneys at Erie County Social Services. It was interesting to see how many different actors including attorneys, social workers, and the court play a role in bettering the lives of children within the area.

When I observed several different court proceedings while also working on active research or writing for the cases, the experience allowed me to feel involved.  It helped me to connect much better with what I saw on paper. I learned that often, child custody proceedings follow a similar pathway. This was something that the AFC unit really stressed and helped me follow. Because of this, I truly feel like I ended the experience with a good grasp of the framework of this aspect of family law.  I am eager to see how I will utilize the experience, knowledge, and opportunities in the future.

As previously stated, one of the things that impacted me the most was how many different actors come into the picture in order to provide for the children and help secure them a better future. As part of my internship, I was also able to work alongside the education lawyers, which was truly eye-opening. I was not aware of how the law interacted with children and had absolutely no idea how education law worked. I was able to visit schools to meet with different staff and children's services to ensure that no student learning disability was left unaddressed. Further, I was able to research and help work on a proposal regarding suspension policies that will eventually go in front of the Buffalo Public School Board.

Throughout my research with the education unit, I learned about how schooling and suspensions really impact children well into the rest of their lives. The legal guards are put in place to ensure that children have access to proper education systems.  However, the pandemic and Buffalo Public School policies do not always align with the children's interests. Today, Buffalo Public Schools have the highest suspension rate out of any public school system in the state. Unfortunately, these policies and practices often disproportionally impact minority students and students with disabilities. I am eager to see how the proposal works out and I am truly honored to have taken a part in the process.

Thank you to the donors to the Buffalo Public Interest Law Program (BPILP) Fellowship.  The opportunity to work with the Attorneys for Children at the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo has opened my eyes to just how much the law touches people in their everyday lives.

Furthermore, I was able to learn what goes into representing a child in court. Specifically, I learned that even though they have representation, the attorney still follows the children's wishes for the majority of the time. It was truly inspiring to see the process of representing a child from small meetings to the actual representation of the child in court. Before I started the internship, I was not at all familiar with this area of the law, but I left the internship eager to learn more and can definitely envision myself working within family court in the future.