Weekend Warrior - Timothy Wagner

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background before law school.
I’ve been drawn to public service since I was a teen—well, at least since I realized my mediocre pitching velocity and slow running speed would not be celebrated by Major League Baseball scouts. I began volunteering for my town’s Emergency Medical Service when I was 16- years-old and worked part-time in a local hospital emergency room to explore an interest in medicine, which led to a broader call to serve.

I lacked direction my first year of college and transferred to the two-year Mobile Intensive Care Paramedic training program at UMDNJ (now Rutgers University), after which I worked as a paramedic in Hudson, Essex, and Bergen counties. While my medical experiences were rewarding, I found that I wanted to serve more broadly. So, I took the New Jersey Civil Service test for police officers and started the police academy the summer before 9/11. With the unique timing of my tenure as a police officer, I’ve lived through the strange societal dichotomy of being hugged by strangers for the heroics of 9/11 police officers (a tragedy with which I had, at best, an ancillary involvement), but also cursed and threatened by strangers for the actions of police officers halfway across the country (tragedies with which I was not involved at all). Shortly after graduating from the police academy, I met my wife, Laura, who was also a paramedic at the time. Today, we have three wonderful kids and work hard to be involved parents while carving out time for our own pursuits.

2) How has your experience as a police officer/captain contributed to your legal education?
My general experience as a police officer has allowed me unique peeks behind the curtain of much of society that I would otherwise not be afforded. I now appreciate that some of the leaders we put on pedestals are more susceptible to humanity’s foibles and the temptations of narcissism than the public appreciates. These aren’t superhumans; they’re just humans, like us. What I’ve seen in my career has shown me that anyone can do and become anything with commitment and perseverance—well, maybe apart from pitching in the big leagues. This has increased my own confidence. We all have strengths and weaknesses, but no person is better than the next. The term “imposter syndrome” is thrown around quite a bit in law school. While I’m certainly not immune to its pressures, the people to whom I’ve been introduced in my career have shown me that most anything is attainable with the right attitude and a little well-timed luck.

As a police captain, my two most instructive tests have been in leading others and in maintaining unshakeable integrity despite constant challenges to it. Maybe it’s attributable to policing’s paramilitary roots, but leading officers at various stages of their lives and careers is a challenge that requires the utmost attention if a supervisor is to develop in their role as a leader, not just as a manager. In such a paramilitary structure, officers look to their bosses not only for vocational supervision, but also for guidance in their personal lives. Much like a lawyer, a police captain must always remind herself that all her actions and decisions are being quietly watched and held up as an example to her team. I used to repeat the advice that integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking. But I now know that maintaining one’s integrity is even harder than that. Integrity is also doing the right thing when powerful people would rather you not.

3) What made you decide to go to law school?
For many years I was assigned to roles where I had responsibility for working on the policies and internal governance of the police department during some of the most turbulent times law enforcement has seen (e.g., terrorism, social justice, body worn cameras, etc.). This required me to work often with attorneys, both prosecutors and municipal counsel. I enjoyed working with lawyers to find legally grounded solutions to challenging problems that were also workable operationally. In most situations, I sensed a compatibility with those lawyers, but I wanted to be able to come to those solutions on my own, or to at least understand how lawyers “think like lawyers.” This led me to law school.

A second push toward law school was my realization that there is somewhat of a glass ceiling unique to New Jersey law enforcement. The chief law enforcement officers of the state and of each county are all lawyers. While they don’t supervise the day-to-day operations of police departments, they do set broad (and sometimes not so broad) policies that govern how police function in the criminal justice system. Surprisingly, most of the lawyers who exercise these powers to set police policy have no idea what it feels like to put on a uniform and be thrust daily into confrontational and dangerous situations on behalf of the state. New Jersey would be well-served by prosecutors and attorneys general who have the experience to speak to both halves of a Law & Order episode, if you will. The lack of police representation at these levels is evident when attorneys general issue directives based on current events or special interest pressures that prove to be challenging to implement where the boots meet the ground. Though great lawyers, their lack of policing experience occasionally frustrates our ability to strike a balance between what is desirable and what is workable. Honoring the full truth of the criminal justice experience requires the voices of leaders who have experienced the system in the court room as well as on the streets.

4) How has the transition between the two careers challenged you?
The proverb "Never outshine the master," comes to mind. I have not revealed my law school study to those at my job. Policing is a 24/7 operation, which means I can be (and have been) transferred to a new schedule on the whim of a superior and without notice. This could threaten my goal of keeping a steady school schedule. Therefore, I keep my law school study and my work separate (until now, should anyone at work read this). My schedule has also made it difficult to commit to internships and summer associate positions that could open doors to future employers. My positions in the police department, where I’ve worked in such fields as patrol, homicide, counterterrorism and school safety, internal affairs, and in representing the department as its public information and media relations officer have bestowed me with experiences that any employer should find valuable and hard to cultivate in a singular candidate. But it feels like it will be hard to get those skills noticed by law firms while I am walking a non-traditional path to a career transition.

I’ve also had the unfortunate occasion to have experienced a critical incident at work that caused PTSD. Before this, I had no idea that PTSD could manifest itself by severely affecting a person’s cognitive functions. No school challenge has been greater than maintaining grades while battling long, but temporary effects such as short-term memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and crippling anxiety—all things that were a nightmare while preparing for exam season. I will come out of that experience a stronger, more resilient, and more empathetic lawyer, but not without a few grades that don’t reflect the type of student I am when healthy.

5) What skills have you transferred from your experience as a police officer to your legal career?
Relentless investigative tenacity and attention to detail are skills I learned as a detective that I hope will make me a better lawyer. An investigator can’t be satisfied to look under nine out of ten rocks in searching for facts. One must look under every rock before satisfying oneself that they have a full understanding of a critical incident. One never knows what they will find by casting a wide net, but one must also have the experience and skills to distill vast quantities of the raw information caught in that net into actionable data.

One also cannot be an expert at everything. Networking is vital to developing contacts to call on for help with issues outside of one’s expertise. I learned this early from a partner with whom I was assigned in the county homicide unit. Although this detective was as smart as they came, he didn’t know everything. But, when he didn’t know something, he knew the person to call who did. It’s so important to surround oneself with people who have proficiency where you do not and to have the humility and personal relationships to call on them for help. I presume being a trusted resource to one’s peers is as important in a career in the law as it is in policing.

6) What tips would you give to law students looking to work closely with police departments?
Leave your preconceived notions at the door. People often remark after meeting me that I don’t “seem” or “act” like a police officer. I often reply that police officers are individuals who just happen to dress alike. Many people find no embarrassment in openly stereotyping police officers where, I presume, the same people wouldn’t dream of stereotyping others by race or ethnicity. Much like the military, police departments employ a wide array of personality types. I’ve worked with officers who had doctoral degrees as well as officers who seemingly couldn’t tie their boots without stopping to ask for directions. But each officer contributes to a melting pot of talents—both hard and soft talents—that allow the department to serve an equally-wide array of citizens.

I would also advise such law students to give short shrift to what media outlets tell them about police matters. It was an eye-opening experience the first time I was involved in an event that was being covered live on the news as it was unfolding. While reporters did not outright lie in that case, they framed their teasers in ways that led viewers to suspect that some injustice was afoot when I knew that was the furthest thing from the truth (e.g., “And tonight investigators are asking why these officers were in this position.” No, we weren’t. We knew what the facts were. Nothing nefarious was occurring, but unsensational reports make for unsensational TV ratings.). Remember that the vast majority of officers entered the field because of a calling to serve. Those officers hold that honor close to their hearts.

7) How would you describe your unique experience as a weekend student?
I’ve enjoyed getting to know the students in my weekend program for the last three years. Along with our professors, they are some of the sharpest yet humblest minds I’ve had the pleasure to know. Professors often convey their special respect for us as working students, many with obligations as heads of families. Our age and experiences lead us to not take ourselves too seriously, which brings a nice collegiality to the classroom. And as competitive as the law school experience can be (some may downplay the competition, but class rankings and GPAs still have their effect), I feel confident I could call on any classmate in the weekend program for help and they would not hesitate to give me their best without regard to competition. We realized early on that the better goal is not for me to perform better than the student next to me, but for all of us to become better student lawyers as a class. A rising tide raises all ships.

8) What tips would you give other weekend students?
We’re all in this together and a lot of life gets in the way of school in a four-year program for non-traditional students. Be the best classmate you can be, especially if a student is experiencing a challenge. Challenges will hit all of us without warning. It’s vital to have shoulders to lean on. Demands on our time are many, and it may take a village to succeed in this program. That’s okay. Take help when it’s offered, whether by classmates, family, or friends. Time demands, sickness, family emergencies, and job responsibilities will eventually challenge you to make your deadlines, whether it be for class readings, project submissions, or exam study. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Take help and offer help when you can. Being a good partner to your student peers now is also fantastic for developing yourself into the kind of peer with whom other lawyers would want to work and trust.

9) What’s your favorite class that you have taken so far?
This is a hard question to answer. Prior to this semester, my favorite classes were skills classes with a performance component. Though it engenders a certain degree of stage fright, I enjoy thinking on my feet in classes that simulate litigation. But I’m also enjoying my Administrative Law class this semester with Judge Matey. I find it interesting tracing the development of federal administrative law interwoven with history and current events. The judge interacts with us in a way that is thought-provoking without the usual intimidation that comes from a class that involves “cold-calling” students for answers. I find his insight engaging and rewarding.

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