Meyer Suozzi Awards Robert Manfredo with Hon. Bernard S. Meyer Scholarship

Media Source: State Bar News

Robert F. Manfredo, a student at Albany Law School, is the 2007 recipient of the Judge Bernard S. Meyer Scholarship administered by The New York Bar Foundation. Established in 2004 by the law firm of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. (Garden City), the award is offered to second-year law students attending a law school in New York state and is presented to the student who exhibits excellence in legal writing and advocacy skills. The entries are judged blindly without the name or law school of the author. This is the third consecutive year an Albany Law School student has won the Judge Meyer Scholarship. A reception honoring Manfredo was held June 21 at the Long Island law offices of Meyer Suozzi.

President’s Statement

John R. Horan of New York (Fox Horan & Camerini, LLP), president of The Foundation said, “We are pleased to award the Judge Meyer Scholarship to an Albany Law School student for the third consecutive year. Mr. Manfredo’s essay discusses an issue with significant relevance to New York State and to the legal community at large. His paper exemplifies the excellent legal writing and advocacy skills that we seek in law students planning to become members of the legal profession.”

Recipient’s Background

A New Hartford resident, Manfredo is a 2005 magna cum laude graduate of Siena College with a B.A. in political science. He was recognized for his legal scholarship in his paper, Public Use and Public Benefit: The Battle for Upstate New York. The paper examines federal and state cases relating to eminent domain law and the intention of New York Regional Interconnect, Inc. to use this law in regard to the construction of a high-voltage transmission line in New York state. The proposed purpose of the project is to increase the flow of efficient energy to New York City. The paper also describes the project’s proposed benefits and the anticipated burdens to New York state residents. The $5,000-scholarship will be applied to Manfredo’s fall semester 2007 tuition at Albany Law School where he is the executive editor for research and writing on the Albany Law Review. Manfredo was the winner of the Domenick L. Gabrielli Appellate Advocacy Competition last fall and was a participant in the William B. Spong Jr. Invitational Moot Court Tournament during spring 2007 semester.

Scholarship’s Namesake

Judge Meyer was an associate judge of the New York Court of Appeals from 1979-1986 and practiced with Meyer Suozzi from 1987 until his death in 2005. He earned his law degree at the University of Maryland School of Law and was a graduate of Johns Hopkins University. Among his notable accomplishments, he served as special Deputy Attorney General of New York in charge of the Special Attica Investigation and was a member of the Governor’s Commission on Integrity in Government.

Foundation’s Participation

Emily Franchina of Garden City (Franchina & Giordano, P.C.), a director on The Bar Foundation’s board, is a member of the scholarship selection committee and participated in the judging of the essays. The Meyer Scholarship is one example of the important initiatives designed to stimulate the growth of The Foundation’s endowment and to better serve New York’s legal profession, the justice system, and the community.