Spirit of Public Service Inspires the Andrew Schwartz ’84 Memorial Fund

Andrew “Andy” Schwartz ’84, who had a distinguished 37-year-long career with New York City government, always said that public service was not just his profession but his calling, and a way for him to give back to the institutions and people who gave him a start in life. 

In tribute to Andy, who died on Aug. 29, 2024, the Schwartz family has generously established the Andrew Schwartz ’84 Memorial Fund, dedicated to encouraging and supporting Brooklyn Law School students who pursue study and careers in public service. The Fund, with an initial goal of $100,000, will establish an Impact Scholarship at Brooklyn Law to provide immediate support to students and continue Andy’s legacy by empowering future leaders.  

“Giving back is the most important thing,” said Andy’s brother, Robert Schwartz. “So, we’re hoping that setting up this scholarship is a way our family, along with friends and all those in the Brooklyn Law community who care about helping the next generations of students, can continue to help Andy to give back.”  

A lifelong and devoted Brooklynite, Andy served six mayors during his tenure with the city, initially as legal counsel for the Law Department and the Campaign Finance Board, where he became chief litigation counsel, and then at the Department of Small Business Services (SBS), where he was Deputy Commissioner.  

“Andy leaves a legacy of deep knowledge about the vastly complicated workings of city government, legendary stewardship through changes of leadership, invaluable advice rooted in wisdom, and cherished mentorship to generations of young professionals,” said colleagues at SBS, in a statement on his impact over 27 years with the department and on all who worked with him. One former colleague remembered the tireless work that Andy and SBS did to help get the Rockaways “back on its feet” after being devastated by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. 

“The words ‘public service’ meant a lot to my father,” said Andy’s son, Greg Schwartz. “He acknowledged that he received a lot from public institutions, from growing up in public housing in Canarsie to going to city public schools and a state university. And from Brooklyn Law School. He was really committed to giving some of that back through his work, especially with small businesses—to make an impact directly in the community, with small business being an engine of economic impact. And what really appealed to him and was meaningful was being able to mentor and train other people interested in public service—to create an amplifying effect. Those values trickled down to us.”  

The Schwartz family’s ties to Brooklyn Law School are strong and across generations. It is where Andy, in his 1L year, met the woman who would become his life partner of 43 years, Kathleen Gallagher ’84. They began their relationship as study buddies, but a romance soon blossomed, and the couple married in 1987. “So many couples from our class ended up getting married,” Gallagher said. “I have no idea how many are still together, but something romantic was going on with the class of 1984!” 

Kathleen was on the staff of the Journal of International Law and participated in the Law School’s clerkship program, and both she and Andy were members of the Moot Court Honor Society, with Andy winning the “Best Oralist” award in the 1982 Fall Competition at BLS. “I still have the gavel to prove it,” Kathleen said. Both also served as research assistants—she for Professor Emeritus Henry Holzer and Andy for Suzanne J. and Norman Miles Professor of Law Mary Ellen Fullerton.  

The two went on to very different careers. After law school, while Andy dove into public service with the city, his wife clerked in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, served as a litigator for two large firms, and became in-house regulatory counsel for the New York Stock Exchange and the CLS Group, a foreign exchange settlement service.  

“My dad was very Brooklyn-centric,” said Caitlin Schwartz ’19, who followed in her parents’ footsteps to the Law School and in Andy’s dedication to public service. “He told me that Brooklyn Law had a lot of great resources, particularly for public service, and had a great community.” 

During Law School, Caitlin was an Edward V. Sparer Fellow and a member of Brooklyn Law Students for the Public Interest, and is now a staff attorney at Mobilization for Justice, which offers free legal assistance to low-income New Yorkers. “My dad was always so proud of me,” Caitlin Schwartz said, “but he was particularly proud when I became a lawyer, got married, and had my daughter, Siobhan, last year. His career, marriage, and children were the things in his life that brought him the most accomplishment and joy.” 

Greg Schwartz, a strategy consultant with Boston Consulting Group, chose earning his MBA from the University of Virginia over a legal education, “to the embarrassment of my family of lawyers,” he said with a laugh.  

An important part of the Schwartzes’ story is that all three Brooklyn Law alumni received scholarships. For Andy, who worked before and during law school as a ranger in the National Park Service at the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Saratoga Battlefield, that support was essential. “We are all so grateful for the opportunities the scholarships gave us,” said Kathleen. “Now it’s our turn, through the Memorial Fund, to pass on that opportunity to others.” 

In addition to being an accomplished and compassionate public servant, his family said one of Andy’s greatest gifts was that of being a steadfast friend, whose enormous circle included kids he grew up playing stickball with in Canarsie, the many friends he made in his life journey, colleagues he also played softball with after hours, and his Brooklyn Law classmates, who he gathered every Election Night for an annual poker game. “Apparently he was terrible at poker,” Greg Schwartz said, “but he looked forward to that night for months, and would get excited when he finally won a hand.” 

Make a tax-deductible gift to the Andrew Schwartz ’84 Memorial Fund.