Touro College Launches Child Advocacy Clinic

 

Touro College
Image: tourolaw.edu

Phil Pulaski has 36 years of law enforcement experience and was Chief of Detectives of the NYPD for more than 5 years where he was responsible for 3,600 personnel. In the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Phil Pulaski managed the NYPD’s counterterrorism and weapons of mass destruction operations.

Phil Pulaski holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and master’s degree in environmental engineering from Manhattan College, Bronx, New York. While working full-time as an engineer at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Phil Pulaski attended St. John’s University School of Law, Queens, New York at night, and received a juris doctor degree in May 1980. He passed the New York State Bar examination in July 1980 and was admitted to practice law in New York State. Phil Pulaski was subsequently admitted to practice law in the US Supreme Court, US Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, and US District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of NY.

Phil Pulaski served as a supervisory attorney in the NYPD’s Legal Bureau for several years and, as he was promoted to higher executive ranks in the department, he continued to closely collaborate with the Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters particularly regarding the law involving search and seizure, arrest, eyewitness identification, interrogation and electronic surveillance. Phil Pulaski also provided a significant amount of legal training to members of the NYPD including 10 New York State Bar Continuing Legal Education courses.

Since retiring from the NYPD in 2014 and continuing to work as a law enforcement executive, Phil Pulaski attended Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg School of Law in Suffolk, New York at night, and received a master of laws advanced degree (LLM) in January 2018. While studying for his LLM degree, he maintained a 4.0 GPA and graduated summa cum laude.

Touro College recently announced the opening of a Child Advocacy Clinic to provide free representation to children involved in family court cases. The clinic will be staffed by upper-level Touro College students who will assist clients with various issues ranging from child abuse, neglect, inadequate supervision, domestic violence, and custody.

The program will be steered by family law attorney and Touro College alumnus Danielle Schwager. Students will be required to be in court for a full day once a week and then spend another 12 hours a week preparing to meet clients so as to ensure their legal needs are met. Clinic hours will be supervised by Touro faculty. Ultimately, the program will benefit clients with free legal representation while giving advanced law students first-hand experience in family law matters.