FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   Elissa Ruffino (NIAF) 202/939-3106 or elissa@niaf.org

(WASHINGTON, DC – June 14, 2004) Twenty-eight Italian American first and second year law school students participated in the Graduate to Leaders (G2L) program in the nation’s capital sponsored by the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). The two-day lecture and discussion sessions introduced the graduate law students to the inner workings of the legal world, and served as networking forums introducing participants with a professional support group of Italian Americans in law.

Between May 23 and May 26, participants of the all-expenses-paid NIAF program met with prominent Italian American leaders in the legal field including: Katherine A. Mazzaferri, executive director, District of Columbia Bar; Joseph Migliozzi, Jr., capital defender, State of Virginia; Giovanni Prezioso, general counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); and Major General William Suter, clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court

Seminar topics included: Public Interest Law; Private Practice vs. Public Interest Law; and The Federal Court System and the Role of Specialized Courts. Participants visited the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Federal Claims, and toured the nation’s capital.

The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC and dedicated to preserving the heritage of Italian Americans. The NIAF organizes cultural activities and helps young people with scholarships, internships and other programs. Visit our web site at www.niaf.org