What Is Willie E. Gary's Net Worth?
Willie E. Gary is an American attorney, motivational speaker, and businessman who has a net worth of $200 million. Willie E. Gary opened the first Black law firm in Martin County, Florida, and he is known for having won more than 150 cases that resulted in multi-million dollar settlements, including one that resulted in a $500 million judgement. He is one of the richest lawyers in the world. Gary has appeared on various talk shows and news programs, and he was featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Willie was included on "Ebony" magazine's 2002 "100 Most Influential Black Americans" list, and he was featured on "Forbes" magazine's "Top 50 attorneys in the U.S." list. He is a senior partner at The Law Firm of Gary, Williams, Parenti, Watson, Gary & Gillespie, P.L.L.C., which includes "37 attorneys, a team of paralegals and a professional staff of over 100." Willie is a member of the American Bar Association, National Bar Association, American Association for Justice, NAACP, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and Million Dollar Verdict Club. Gary has earned the nickname "The Giant Killer" die to his reputation of "taking down some of America's most well- known corporate giants on behalf of his clients."
Early Life
Willie E. Gary was born Willie Edward Gary on July 12, 1947, in Eastman, Georgia. His parents, Turner and Mary, were sharecroppers. Willie has 10 siblings, and his twin died during their birth. Gary's parents later became migrant farmers, and the family sometimes slept in tents on farmers' properties because they didn't have a permanent home. The family settled in Indiantown, Florida, when Willie was 13 years old, and he started a lawn service to help support them. Gary was a member of his high school's football team, and he earned a scholarship to North Carolina's Shaw University. After graduating from Shaw, he earned a Juris Doctor from the North Carolina Central University School of Law.
Career
After earning his law degree, Willie began looking for a job. He became a member of the Florida Bar in 1974, and none of the law firms he approached would hire Black lawyers, so he started his own law firm. He won a $250,000 settlement in his first case, and he became one of the most successful attorneys in Florida and didn't lose a single case in seven years. His practice eventually grew into The Law Firm of Gary, Williams, Parenti, Watson, Gary & Gillespie, P.L.L.C., with more than 30 attorneys and three Florida offices. The law firm specializes in personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability, and class action lawsuits as well as international and commercial litigation. Willie won a $240 million verdict when he represented All Pro Sports against Disney after All Pro Sports accused the company of stealing the idea for the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. In 1995, he filed a lawsuit on Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe's behalf after he alleged that businessman Raymond Loewen had reneged on a contract with O'Keefe. Gary won a $500 million settlement for the World War II veteran/funeral home operator, but the case was later settled for much less, $175 million, and Loewen eventually resigned from his firm. In 2022, it was announced that Jamie Foxx would be producing a film about the case for Amazon Prime Video and starring as Willie.
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Gary won $23 billion in a case against the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company due to the 1996 death of Florida's Michael Johnson from lung cancer, but the verdict was overturned in 2019 after the company's attorneys appealed the ruling. The Gary family also owns a real estate management company called Gary Enterprises, and his oldest son, Kenneth, is the CEO and president of the company. Willie's son Sekou is a partner at his law firm. Willie has been featured in publications such as "The Chicago Tribune," "The New York Times," "Jet," "Black Enterprise," "The New Yorker," "People," and "The National Law Journal." Gary is also an in-demand motivational speaker and has given speeches at law schools, churches, universities, and chambers of commerce throughout the U.S.
Personal Life
Willie married Gloria Royal, his childhood sweetheart, when he was a sophomore in college, and they have welcomed five children together. According to his bio on the website for The Law Firm of Gary, Williams, Parenti, Watson, Gary & Gillespie, P.L.L.C., "Gary often travels on his 32 passenger, custom designed Boeing 737, which carries a full flight crew and is appropriately named 'Wings of Justice II.'" The website also states that he and Gloria established The Gary Foundation in 1994, and that the foundation "provides scholarships, direction and other resources to youth, so they can realize their dreams of achieving a higher education." Their sons Kenneth and Ali serve as president and vice president, respectively, of The Gary Foundation, and Kenneth is also the CEO. In 1991, Willie donated more than $10 million to Shaw University, his alma mater. Gary has donated millions to numerous Historically Black Colleges and Universities as well.
Awards and Honors
In 1999, Willie received the Horatio Alger Award, which is given to individuals who represent "perseverance, integrity and a commitment to excellence." In 2004, the South Carolina General Assembly adopted Bill 5050 "to recognize and honor Willie E. Gary, one of the nation's most respected and accomplished lawyers, for his outstanding contributions to his community and to the nation and to extend best wishes to him in all of his future endeavors." In 2019, Gary was honored with the American Bar Association's Spirit of Excellence award.
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