Law Vibe

From TopBlacks:

TB: When you came back to Florida why did you start your own firm, rather than join for an existing law firm?

Willie Gary: I was the first African American to start a law practice in Florida. There were other firms that wanted to hire me, and I really genuinely felt that they did, however, they wouldn’t do it because they basically thought they would lose their clients because I was Black. So, I had no choice. I had to hang out my shingle and thank God I did.

TB: How did it feel to win your first case?

WG: It was unbelievable because I was young and energetic. The first time I was in the courtroom I won a $250,000 verdict up in middle Florida which is an area where you know, the home of the clans. I went up there in tough country representing a Black man in a wrongful death case. I had an all White jury, and we got $250,000 verdict. It felt good. It assured me that I was in the right profession, the law was my niche and I could file good lawsuits. That’s what I do and I love it!

TB: Well, you really get around! Tell us about you private jet, The Wings of Justice. Is it really necessary and how does it add to the bottom line of the firm?

WG: You can ask about 150 people that depend on a check every 2 weeks whether or not we could do what we do without that ability to fly from state to state. We work out of 45 states. The days of the horse and buggy type transportation are over. If I had to sit in airports, being subjected to cancelled flights, there is no way this firm could be as efficient as it is.

TB: Now that your firm is so busy. How do you keep up with the demand? Are there times that you turn away business?

WG: No, we have a commercial law department, a medical malpractice department [and other departments]. We have good people. We’ve got a bunch of good lawyers and a good staff. We have about 50 plus telephone lines, we have intake people to take the calls, we have committees to evaluate the cases and we move them. You know, people want results and if you can do that the business will come. We get a lot of cases that we don’t take. Not so much because we are so busy, but because we don’t feel the case warrants our involvement. We are not going to get on a case that does not have merit to it.

TB: Many of our readers have heard about the high profile cases you are involved in, however, what case did you work on that was personally very satisfying, but did not come with a multi-million dollar settlement, which seems to be the norm for your firm?

WG: Well you know, I’ve worked a lot of cases where there was no reward, or sometimes they do not go to court. I’ll never forget it, my first case that I got a lot of pride out of was representing an old lady who had a problem with a light bill and I took on that case. She thought that they charged her about $15 too much, maybe not even that much. I wrote letters and I negotiated the bill, of course this was 20 plus years ago, and to this day the smile on that lady’s face when I was able to correct the bill and she stood up to the utility company and she won because they backed off and they straightened the bill out. I have quite a few stories like that where it’s not a lot of money, but you get the satisfaction out of those cases. You know you’ve helped somebody; you’ve made a difference. It’s not about the money; it’s about the results.

TB: How important is education in your profession?

WG: I don’t think that I can really describe the importance of education. It’s a must. There’s not doubt that you cannot make it without it, forget it, you aren’t going anywhere without an education. I speak to kids everyday and tell them to stay in school, study hard and be the best that you can be, because if you want to be successful it all starts with a good foundation - get you a good education.

TB: For a young person debating whether to attend college or just find a job, what advise would you give them?

WG: Follow your dreams, but people who can get an education, get it. Go to college, take that time and do it. It is a good experience. It’s beyond just “getting an education”. You make friends, contacts and the experience is invaluable and you prepare yourself for the future in the process. I would say that if you’ve got a choice, go to college, there is no doubt about it.