Hon. John J. Flynn ’95
Hon. John J. Flynn ’95 was elected Erie County’s district attorney in 2017. He directed a staff of 180 people, about half of them attorneys, who prosecuted 30,000 cases a year. Flynn was known for combining relentless energy with a deep sense of purpose and compassion.
About this Interview
Interview Date(s)
April 2021
Occasion
Distinguished Alumnus Award for Public Service at the 59th Annual Alumni Dinner
Interviewed By
Hon. Henry Nowak
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About the Hon. John J. Flynn
Flynn came from a political family. His father was a trial lawyer and was a huge influence on his life. His uncle, Ed Cosgrove, was Erie County district attorney in 1973. When he decided to go to law school, Flynn was married with children, and was serving in the Navy.
A member of the Navy Reserve during law school, he joined the Navy JAG Corps after graduation. He served in Pensacola, Fla., for three years as a legal assistance officer, working on a variety of legal matters. He then accepted a teaching position at the U.S. Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Md., for two years from 1999-2001.
Doing defense work for the Navy put to immediate use what he learned in law school. “You do your job better when you know what the other side is thinking,” he said. Military work taught him compassion for the people prosecuted by the DA’s office.
Cases in the DA’s office fall into three categories:
- Bad people who do bad things
- Good people who do a stupid thing
- An individual who has some form of problem
In all cases, Flynn tries to treat people with respect. As simple as it is, one of his sayings is, “Just be nice to people.” It bothers him to see injustice done.
He believes that a unique aspect of UB law school is the number of adjunct professors who teach classes, and names the late Kevin Dillon, Jim Magavern and Dick Sullivan as examples of excellent teacher-practitioners.
Flynn loves his job and his role serving his community but sees another role in his future. “I believe in term limits,” he said.
He served as vice president of the National District Attorneys Association and head of the association’s Metro Section. He received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals.
