General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Business
Affairs
1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.
Managing Partner,
Gallagher, Walker, Bianco & Plastaras, Attorneys at Law
A Career in Full Bloom …
Gerard M. Gallagher `78 serves as the General Counsel and Senior
Vice President of Business Affairs for 1-800-Flowers.COM, Inc. the
world's leading florist and a provider of specialty gifts for all
occasions. For more than 30 years, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM has been
providing customers with fresh flowers and the finest selection of
plants, gift baskets, gourmet foods, confections, balloons and
plush stuffed animals perfect for every occasion. Mr.
Gallagher has been providing legal services to the company since
its inception. In celebration of a St. John’s Law legal
education,
alumni receive a 15% discount on all orders.
Growing up in Queens, NY watching courtroom dramas on television,
Mr. Gallagher knew at an early age that he aspired to be an
attorney. Familiar with St. John’s Law, his uncle taught on
campus, Mr. Gallagher chose to attend alma mater because of the
strong, positive reputation for preparing law students to practice
in New York and the Law School’s proximity to his home and
family. Ironically, Mr. Gallagher’s responsibility is now
global in nature considering that his staff at 1-800-Flowers.Com
manage an ever expanding global practice with vendors, suppliers
and partners drawn from around the world – so much for
concentrating on the growth of a New York law practice.
Reflecting on his legal education at St. John’s Law, Mr. Gallagher
reminisces about the study of Law and a believer in the Socratic
Method of learning, “You went to class prepared. Today’s
lawyer must have the ability to communicate complex ideas in a
concise and compelling manner with confidence. The Socratic
Method, and the legal and business marketplace, rewards this skill
set.”
An expert in time management and focus, Mr. Gallagher has a dual
role as the founder and a managing partner of the Mineola-based law
firm Gallagher, Walker, Bianco and Plastaras, which specializes in
corporate, litigation and intellectual property matters since
1993. Mr. Gallagher notes that he is fortunate to experience
success in a Corporate Counsel environment and a Law Firm
setting. It is extremely rare that this success is realized
con-currently at a firm and corporation.
Ever “the planner,” Mr. Gallagher is mindful of the challenges for
growth and business strategy in both a global retail category
leader and a regional law firm. Recognizing that St. John’s
Law Class of 2009 graduates will be entering a very competitive job
market, Mr. Gallagher offers the following counsel, “although the
marketplace is challenging today, trust that it will rebound.
Keep your chin-up and maintain a sense of humor as a positive
outlook can get an individual through the toughest of times.
There is no substitute for hard work and dedicated focus.
Always maintain your integrity – your good name stays with you from
the courtroom to the community and vice-versa. Believe in
yourself, and your St. John’s Law degree, and good things will
happen.”