County Justice

By: Braden J. Pritchard ’25

For the summer of 2023, I had the honor and the privilege of working at the Office of the Erie County District Attorney.

          Having lived in the City of Buffalo my entire life, I was always committed to staying here throughout my undergraduate time at the University at Buffalo, as well as in Law School. I had never thought private firms would be for me, so it only made sense to work at the District Attorney’s Office. DA John Flynn had been one of the first to tell me about law school, as well as the Navy JAG program – my ultimate goal – while I was watching his debate as a freshman at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, a local high school. Working for him just seemed to make sense.

The District Attorney’s Office gave me the opportunity to work on diverse, rapid-fire, legal issues. Something different would pop up constantly, especially in my bureau, Felony Trials. The informal office atmosphere was exactly what I was looking for in legal work. No wasting time filling out a memo, Assistant District Attorneys wanted and needed answers quickly, and in an easy-to-understand way. I much preferred the problem-solving, creative solutions, and informal discussions to what I imagine law firm work would be like. Anything a post-it note with a Fourth Department decision name on it could not solve could be easily handled with a conversation.

          I not only enjoyed the style of work but the ADAs as well. People were excited to hop into my office and tell me a trial was going on, or that they wanted me to come over to Police Headquarters and grab something with them. This was especially the attitude with the younger ADAs, many of whom remember being an intern at that office relatively recently. The office had great camaraderie, and everyone there was always ready to answer questions or give a polite correction to my wrong ideas, exactly what you would hope for as a 1L.

The entire program also benefited from the hard work of ADA Natalie Lesh, who organized a schedule of events. Trips were taken every Wednesday: to the Erie County Holding Center, the Erie County Correctional Facility, the Erie County Crime Analysis Center, CPS Lab, and various trials – from felonies to homicides. The office also partnered with the US Attorney’s Office to put on a speaker series Wednesday afternoon, to hear from panelists in various legal professions, such as clerks, defense attorneys, JAG, and judges.

I want to send special thanks to Francis Letro and Cindy Abbott Letro for establishing the 2023 Francis M. Letro ’79 & Cindy Abbott Letro Fellowship. As the son of a single working mother, my time as an undergraduate student at UB, as well as here in law school, would not have been possible without the aid of UB’s many donors – and now the Letro’s in particular. I also want to thank the Summer Public Interest and Fellowship Program Office for their help.

Name: Braden J. Pritchard ’25

Fellowship: 2023 Francis M. Letro ’79 & Cindy Abbott Letro Fellowship

Placement: Erie County District Attorney

Location: Buffalo, NY

One important lesson I have learned from this fellowship: Thinking on your feet is just as important as knowing the law.