Western Queens Gazette – May 07, 2015
Most New Yorkers can tell you a thing or two about the long-time rivalry between New York City’s Police and Fire Departments. Each year, across a range of competitions, the NYPD and FDNY go head to head – for charity and bragging rights – in a “Battle of the Badges.”
Despite what goes on outside its four walls, inside St. John’s Law, New York’s Bravest and Finest find common ground.
Recalling his first weeks as a student in the Law School’s evening program, Denis Sweeney ‘15 says it didn’t take long for him to forge a friendship with classmate Daniel Gallagher ‘15. Gallagher is a 16- year veteran of the NYPD, where he is a Lieutenant assigned to the Legal Bureau. With 10 years on the FDNY, Sweeney is a Lieutenant with Ladder 35 on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. “It was clear from the start that Dan and I have a lot in common,” says Sweeney. “We’re both older students committed to our careers serving New York City, and we’re both serious about our studies.”
Gallagher joined the NYPD soon after college, but always wanted to go to law school. “After years of talk, I made a New Year’s resolution to take the LSAT in 2009,” he said. “And once I started the process, it just kept moving me forward.” Catholic values, proximity to his young family, and the school’s strong reputation drew him to St. John’s Law, where he has had an “outstanding experience” while excelling academically and taking on student leadership roles. “Working full-time and going to school is a delicate balancing act, and a kinship forms between people trying to do that successfully,” Gallagher shares. “Plus I think that St. John’s attracts genuinely nice people.”
Among them, Gallagher said, is his friend Denis Sweeney. “Denis and I have definitely developed a special camaraderie,” he says. “We’ve had lots of classes together and enjoy a light-hearted rivalry. Our classmates include other police officers and court officers. We all have real world experience that some of the younger students lack, so connections develop because of that.”
Returning to school after a nine-year hiatus, Sweeney says he felt “very welcome” at St. John’s Law, which has a proud tradition of educating police officers, firefighters, and others who serve and protect their communities. And he has excelled as a student, earning membership on the St. John’s Law Review. “I see my law degree as a way of giving back,” he said, noting that he hopes to use his legal training to “support the FDNY, the Catholic Church, or New York City.”
As he looks ahead to graduation this spring, Gallagher gives his wife and three children all the credit for his success at St. John’s. “More than any work or school accomplishments, the thing I’m most proud of is my family,” he said. He plans to work with the Legal Bureau for the remainder of his time with the NYPD. “The experience is invaluable and tailormade for me,” Gallagher says. “I get to practice law and still be a police officer.”
He also wishes his friend well as they move on from St. John’s. “Denis is an extremely smart and very capable guy, and I know he will make an excellent attorney,” says Gallagher. “But don’t tell him I said that.”
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