Willie E. Gary
Encyclopedia
Willie E. Gary once a migrant worker
, is an attorney, motivational speaker and cable television executive. Gary has earned his reputation and nickname as "The Giant Killer" by winning suits against some of America's most well known corporate giants, such as Disneyland and Anheuser-Busch
, on behalf of his clients through his law firm, Gary, Williams, Parenti, Finney, Lewis, McManus, Watson & Sperando, P.L.
where he was raised in migrant farm communities in Florida
, Georgia
and the Carolinas. He is one of eleven children. With an unwavering desire to receive an education, he took his credentials as a Florida All-State High School football player to Shaw University
in Raleigh, North Carolina
. He received an athletic scholarship and co-captained the team during the 1969, 1970 and 1971 seasons. Earning a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, he continued on the North Carolina Central University
in Durham where he earned a Juris Doctor
in 1974. He moved back to Stuart where he was admitted to the Florida Bar and opened the first black law firm in Martin County. Gloria, his childhood sweetheart, now wife, assisted him at this newly formed law firm.
Gary was the first black
male to go to college from the small town of Indiantown where his family labored in the cane fields. He is known to still speak of the tiny shack where he lived in the Silver City settlement of Pahokee, Florida, and says he often drives by the shack with a clear vision of those times.
With Gloria he has 4 adult sons : Kenneth, Sekou, Ali and Kobie. Kenneth is president & CEO of The Gary Foundation and Gary Enterprises ( the family’s real estate management company ). Sekou is a member of the Florida Bar and recently opened his own law practice, Gary Legal Group LLC, in Miami, Florida. Ali earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and is Editor and Chief of “Update,” the firm newsletter. Kobie, is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University located in South Florida.
He also is the father of girl and boy twins Tajilah And Tahj (born November 2000) by former Olympic hopeful Diana Gowins. Gary was paying $28,000 per month in child support. The order was recently reduced to $5,000 per month by an Atlanta judge after Gary learned that Gowins was mismanaging the child support payments. Reportedly, Gowins (who is unemployed) was spending the money on diamonds, tummy tucks, cruises without the children, and private school tuition for her older child from a previous relationship. Gowins is currently appealing the order. Gowins can frequently be seen on The Real Housewives of Atlanta
, as she maintains a close friendship with housewife NeNe Leakes.
.
Gary is a member of the National Bar Association
, American Bar Association
, American Trial Lawyers Association, Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers Association, Martin and St. Lucie County Bar Associations and the Million Dollar Verdict Club. He has also received Honorary Doctorates of Law degrees from eleven universities. His extensive community activities include membership in the NAACP, Florida Guardsmen, Inc., Urban League, Civitan International, United Way of Martin County and Martin Memorial Hospital Foundation Council, along with others.
Gary owns two private jets, named the Wings of Justice and the Wings of Justice II, along with several cars, including two Rolls Royces. His main residence is in Sewall's Point, Florida overlooking the St. Lucie River.
Gary continues to lead a legacy of success, appearing on Oprah
and giving numerous speeches world wide. Forbes Magazine has listed him as one of the top 50 attorneys in the United States, and Ebony Magazine declared him one of the "100 Most Influential African Americans." He continues to assert the quality of Black colleges and universities, and recounts that his firm religious beliefs have rewarded him throughout his life.
In 1999 he founded the Black Family Channel
.
Recently, he was seeking legal fees equal to $22,000 per hour in connection with litigation against Motorola
. A judge in Broward County, Florida
has set the fee plus costs for the case at $22.9 million, the equivalent of about $1,050 per hour for Gary and his firm. Gary was quoted as saying "Obviously, we felt it could be a bit more, but we can live with the judge's ruling. I'm very, very pleased."
Migrant worker
The term migrant worker has different official meanings and connotations in different parts of the world. The United Nations' definition is broad, including any people working outside of their home country...
, is an attorney, motivational speaker and cable television executive. Gary has earned his reputation and nickname as "The Giant Killer" by winning suits against some of America's most well known corporate giants, such as Disneyland and Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
, on behalf of his clients through his law firm, Gary, Williams, Parenti, Finney, Lewis, McManus, Watson & Sperando, P.L.
Biography
Willie Gary was born in Eastman, GeorgiaEastman, Georgia
Eastman is a city in Dodge County, Georgia, United States. The population was 13,541 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Dodge County...
where he was raised in migrant farm communities in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and the Carolinas. He is one of eleven children. With an unwavering desire to receive an education, he took his credentials as a Florida All-State High School football player to Shaw University
Shaw University
Shaw University, founded as Raleigh Institute, is a private liberal arts institution and historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest HBCU in the Southern United States....
in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
. He received an athletic scholarship and co-captained the team during the 1969, 1970 and 1971 seasons. Earning a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, he continued on the North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University is a public historically black university in the University of North Carolina system, located in Durham, North Carolina, offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral levels....
in Durham where he earned a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 1974. He moved back to Stuart where he was admitted to the Florida Bar and opened the first black law firm in Martin County. Gloria, his childhood sweetheart, now wife, assisted him at this newly formed law firm.
Gary was the first black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
male to go to college from the small town of Indiantown where his family labored in the cane fields. He is known to still speak of the tiny shack where he lived in the Silver City settlement of Pahokee, Florida, and says he often drives by the shack with a clear vision of those times.
With Gloria he has 4 adult sons : Kenneth, Sekou, Ali and Kobie. Kenneth is president & CEO of The Gary Foundation and Gary Enterprises ( the family’s real estate management company ). Sekou is a member of the Florida Bar and recently opened his own law practice, Gary Legal Group LLC, in Miami, Florida. Ali earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and is Editor and Chief of “Update,” the firm newsletter. Kobie, is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University located in South Florida.
He also is the father of girl and boy twins Tajilah And Tahj (born November 2000) by former Olympic hopeful Diana Gowins. Gary was paying $28,000 per month in child support. The order was recently reduced to $5,000 per month by an Atlanta judge after Gary learned that Gowins was mismanaging the child support payments. Reportedly, Gowins (who is unemployed) was spending the money on diamonds, tummy tucks, cruises without the children, and private school tuition for her older child from a previous relationship. Gowins is currently appealing the order. Gowins can frequently be seen on The Real Housewives of Atlanta
The Real Housewives of Atlanta
The Real Housewives of Atlanta is an American reality television series on the Bravo cable network that premiered in the fall of 2008. Following the format of its predecessors , in 2009 the Atlanta series was not only the highest rated show of the The Real Housewives of... franchise, it was the...
, as she maintains a close friendship with housewife NeNe Leakes.
Life Success
Gary has won over 150 multi million dollar suits, including a $500 million award granted to one of his clients in MississippiMississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
.
Gary is a member of the National Bar Association
National Bar Association
The National Bar Association was established in 1925 as the "Negro Bar Association" after Gertrude Rush, George H. Woodson, S. Joe Brown, James B. Morris, and Charles P. Howard, Sr. were denied membership in the American Bar Association. It represents the interests of African-American attorneys in...
, American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
, American Trial Lawyers Association, Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers Association, Martin and St. Lucie County Bar Associations and the Million Dollar Verdict Club. He has also received Honorary Doctorates of Law degrees from eleven universities. His extensive community activities include membership in the NAACP, Florida Guardsmen, Inc., Urban League, Civitan International, United Way of Martin County and Martin Memorial Hospital Foundation Council, along with others.
Gary owns two private jets, named the Wings of Justice and the Wings of Justice II, along with several cars, including two Rolls Royces. His main residence is in Sewall's Point, Florida overlooking the St. Lucie River.
Gary continues to lead a legacy of success, appearing on Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
and giving numerous speeches world wide. Forbes Magazine has listed him as one of the top 50 attorneys in the United States, and Ebony Magazine declared him one of the "100 Most Influential African Americans." He continues to assert the quality of Black colleges and universities, and recounts that his firm religious beliefs have rewarded him throughout his life.
In 1999 he founded the Black Family Channel
Black Family Channel
Black Family Channel was a network for African American families and the only black-owned and operated cable television network...
.
Recently, he was seeking legal fees equal to $22,000 per hour in connection with litigation against Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
. A judge in Broward County, Florida
Broward County, Florida
-2000 Census:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,623,018 people, 654,445 households, and 411,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,346 people per square mile . There were 741,043 housing units at an average density of 615 per square mile...
has set the fee plus costs for the case at $22.9 million, the equivalent of about $1,050 per hour for Gary and his firm. Gary was quoted as saying "Obviously, we felt it could be a bit more, but we can live with the judge's ruling. I'm very, very pleased."