We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alex Gonzalez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alex thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

The biggest risk I’ve taken in my career, by far, has been the decision to open up my law firm. At the time, I was perfectly comfortable at my old job as an associate working for someone else. In fact, I was too comfortable. As I considered the idea of opening up my law firm, I realized that I had become stagnant in my career. I wasn’t really growing as an attorney because the challenges and issues I was dealing with had become repetitive. In short, I felt I had hit a ceiling. Although, I was (very) nervous about the many uncertainties I would face as a law firm owner–uncertain finances, fear of being unable to attract clients or that I’m just not good enough–I decided to take a leap of faith. I struggled with self doubt, imposter syndrome, and confidence doubts for the first few months. In fact, I still deal with those issues to some extent. But I have a great support system and partners who support and believe in me. I believe that growth, real growth comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone. I did just that when I opened up my law firm and it’s made all the difference.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Alex Gonzalez. I am a personal injury attorney based in Houston, Texas but I represent clients all over Texas. I am proud to represent and fight for my clients who have suffered a serious injury as a result of another party’s negligence. Most of my clients are dealing with very serious injuries and come to me scared and unsure about what to do next. I pride myself on being there for them in their time of need and dealing with all of the legal issues so they can go back to their normal lives and just focus on getting better.

I separate myself from most other personal attorneys in that I am truly available to all of my clients–honestly, all of them have my cell phone! They don’t have to be transferred two or three times to talk with me. I want to be there for them because I know how scary and serious the issues they are dealing with can be.

I grew up in Brownsville, Texas right along the border with Mexico. Brownsville is a special place but most of the residents are lower income so I grew up with a great empathy and respect for the working class. In fact, my family was working class so I feel a certain sense of duty to help my community. My upbringing played a big role in me deciding to become a personal injury attorney. My parents taught me to always help others whenever I can. Every winter, I would see them handing out blankets and clothes to the poor and they would give money to every panhandlers they encountered, without fail. Not only that, but my dad would always ask their names and strike up a conversation with them, eventually becoming friends with each person he encountered.

My decision to become an attorney was partly influenced by my desire to make my parents proud of me. They sacrificed so much and worked so hard so that my brother and I could have the opportunities that they never had. I dedicate my life and work to helping others because that’s all I saw them do.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I am a fairly young “boss” so I remember vividly what it felt like to be an employee. In my young career, I’ve worked under a variety of managers–some good, some not so good but I truly believe that you can learn something from everyone. Sometimes you learn what to do, other times you learn what not to do.

The practice of law is so complex that you can often feel like there is so much you don’t know. It can affect your confidence, if you let it. As a young associate, I recall feeling on edge that I would make a fatal mistake on one of our cases. So whenever I did get a compliment for a job well done, it would boost my confidence and I would take it as a sign that I was on the right track. Today, I try and let my staff know at every chance that they did a good job. Likewise, if something could be done better I take the time to show them how and explain why it’s important.

I also believe that employees should constantly be growing and learning something new. There is no benefit to your company in keeping an employee right where they are. I once came across a quote where an employee asks a CEO, “What happens if we invest in our staff and they leave us?” The CEO responds, “What happens if we don’t and they stay?” It had a profound impact on me and I try and invest in my staff every chance I get. It’s good for them and it’s good for my firm.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

A reputation is a funny thing–it’s both strong and fragile at the same time. It is built up over a lifetime, but you can lose it just as easily in a single minute.

First and foremost, any success that I have achieved has been the result of me being a good attorney. In my practice, you cannot fake it, you must be knowledgeable, prepared, and hard working. Results do not happen on accident and I know that every case I take is another chance to build up that reputation.

When working on cases against other attorneys, I take the path of respect and honesty. That said, if opposing counsel ever deliberately does something dishonest or tries to wrong me or my client, I do not take it lightly and I immediately push back. I can’t stand bullies and sometimes you have to show them that you aren’t going to take their nonsense.

I also enjoy seeing my friends and colleagues succeed. I do not get jealous or envious when I see another attorney do well. I believe in celebrating their successes and genuinely want to help other attorneys succeed. I’ve found that people want to help other people so any support or help I’ve provided has come back to me twofold.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pcginjury.com
• Instagram: @attorneyalexgonzalez @pcginjury
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/attorneyalexgonzalez/

Image Credits
Rumor Creative and Isis Mercado Photography