Frank S. Polestino was a graduate of the New
York University School of Law class of 1958 and served as a
professor at St. John’s University School of Law from 1972 until
his passing in 2001. He served as a long-time advisor to the
Criminal Law Institute and the law school’s chapter of the
Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Professor Polestino
was the moderator for the Walter J. McKenna Forum, which annually
provides a forum for the discussion of current topics in criminal
law by a distinguished panel.
Before joining the law faculty, Professor Polestino served as
Law Assistant in the Queens County Supreme Court and as Law Clerk
for Associate Judge John F. Scileppi of the New York Court of
Appeals. Prior to that, he was a partner at a New York City
law Firm.
In addition to developing the Law School’s present Prosecution
Clinic program, he frequently lectured on Criminal Law and
Procedure for Justices of the New York Supreme Court and Judges of
the Criminal Court of the city of New York, at Bar Associations,
and at seminars sponsored by the Office of Court
Administration. In 1994, he received the New York State Bar
Association Criminal Justice Section award for Outstanding
Contribution in the field of Criminal Law Education.
During his time with the law school, Professor Polestino was an
inspiration and mentor to his students, and greatly respected by
the faculty and outside the school.
The Frank S. Polestino Trial Advocacy Institute is named in his
honor.