Valedictorian and Part-Time Student Uses Legal Education to Advance on the Job and In the Classroom
gallagher story
When Thomas Gallagher enrolled in UIC Law’s part-time evening program, he wasn’t stepping away from his career, he was using his education to advance it. While attending law school at night, Gallagher continued working full-time as a conflicts administrator at ArentFox Schiff LLP, where he applied his legal education to real-world firm operations in real time.
Now, after four years of balancing work, raising two young children, and attending evening classes, he will graduate as the UIC Law Spring 2025 Valedictorian.
Gallagher credits UIC Law with helping him deepen his understanding of legal issues that arose in his day job, ultimately making him a more effective and insightful legal professional.
“I’ve learned so much here,” he said. “The professors, especially the adjuncts who are actively practicing, brought the material to life. They didn’t just teach the law; they showed us how it works in practice.”
Gallagher’s background gave him a head start in courses like Professional Responsibility, where he earned the CALI Excellence for the Future Award, but it was the connection between work and school that propelled his success. Lessons learned in the classroom helped him approach firm issues with more legal insight, while his firm experience gave him practical context for academic discussions.
The two worlds continued to reinforce each other. Gallagher took a leave from his role in the summer of 2024 to extern for Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, drafting legal memoranda on complex issues like qualified immunity and tortious interference.
“Being in the Dirksen Federal Building, seeing oral arguments, and then getting to sit down with a federal judge and hear her take—it was incredibly rewarding,” he said.
Gallagher’s time at UIC Law also included finishing as a quarterfinalist in the Fred F. Herzog Moot Court Competition where he got top five honors for both his written and oral advocacy, and an externship with the Illinois Office of the State’s Attorney Appellate Prosecutor where he worked on criminal appeals.
Gallagher is now applying for federal clerkships and hopes to one day join the U.S. Attorney’s Office where he dreams of prosecuting white-collar crime and public corruption cases. Wherever his path leads, Gallagher credits UIC Law for giving him a strong foundation—not just for the legal profession, but for professional growth in real time.