Thanks to the generosity of the Law Firm of Robert J. Scamardella, CSI, Class of 1972, and his partners Michael Gervasi and Leslie Kasegrande, the Legal Studies Institute has established “the Robert J. Scamardella Fund for Equal Legal Education Opportunity, or “Scamardella Fund.” The Scamardella Fund provides resources for students applying to law school and for selected students to receive stipends for summer internships at Staten Island Legal Services, Inc., an agency providing free legal representation to poor people on Staten Island. Summer interns are selected each year though a competitive application process each year.
The 2024 Scamardella Summer Interns
Ritaj Abbasi, Class of 2025, is a Sociology/Anthropology Major, with a concentration in Critical Criminology and Social Justice. She has maintained a GPA of 3.7. Ritaj is interested in sports and community work. She would very much like to pursue a career in public interest law.
Taylor Caffarilla, Class of 2024, is a Dual Major in Political Science and Philosophy. Taylor is a Macaulay Honors student who has maintained a GPA of 4.0. She plans to attend law school in the near future.
Ava Del Salto is a Political Science Major and CSI athlete on CSI’s women’s softball team. She has maintained a GPA of 3.7. Ava intends to pursue a career in the law. She has a particular interest in families and family law.
About Robert J. (“Bob”) Scamardella
Bob Scamardella is the recipient of a CSI Legal Studies Institute Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Scamardella is a life-long Staten Islander who graduated magna cum laude from the College of Staten Island/Richmond College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His favorite subject at CSI was constitutional law. In 1975, he earned his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.
Mr. Scamardells started his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney with the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office where he was the Chief of the Major Offense Bureau. In 1982, he entered private practice. He is currently the managing partner of the Firm Scamardella, Gervasi, and Kasegrande. He is also a partner The Molinari Group, LLC, a consulting firm.
Mr. Scamardella is an experienced trial attorney who has litigated a broad range of cases. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Richmond County Bar Association. He is a continuing legal education lecturer in Commercial and Estate Law and an adjunct Professor of Business Law at Wagner College.
In addition, Mr. Scamardella has lived a life of sustained civic engagement. He served as Board Chairman of the Staten Island YMCA and the Eger Health Care and Rehabilitation Center. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater New York and is a former board member of the College of Staten Island Foundation. He also serves on the Executive Committees of the St George Theatre Restoration, Inc., SINY, Inc., and the Staten Island Children’s Campaign. Active politically, Mr. Scamardella is a past Chairman of the Richmond County Republican Party. In 2010, he received the Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Award. As the Staten Island Advance once put it, “Scamardella always puts the Staten Island community first.”
His devotion to providing excellent representation to his clients and his sustained commitment to public service garnered a Lifetime Achievement Award from the CSI Legal Studies Institute. Mr. Scamardella embodies the virtues we seek to foster in our students at the College of Staten Island, and we thank him for his generous support.
