“I’ve always rooted for the underdog. Practicing law is the way I can stop rooting and do something to help.” – Gary Goldberg

Sometimes in life, the second act is just as good – if not better – than the first. Gary Goldberg’s journey proves the point.

A Brooklyn native, the son of a mover and a secretary, Gary fights from the corner of the working man. Straight out of Columbia Law School in the early 1970s, Gary quickly made a name for himself as one of the best plaintiff’s lawyers in Maine. Much of that reputation was earned in the courtroom, where Gary is a natural storyteller and a fierce advocate. There is no one better at speaking to jurors in clear and compelling language. He continued to solidify that reputation throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s.

For a time, Gary’s career was put on hold. Health problems forced him to step away from the practice of law. For someone as successful and driven as Gary, it was a tough blow. Sometimes he doubted if he would ever return to the courtroom. But as Gary’s health improved, doors opened again. Around 2010 Gary started doing mediation work. In 2011, when Terry Garmey opened his own firm in Portland, Gary was excited to be on board. Now Gary handles a range of plaintiff’s cases, including personal injury and medical malpractice. And that reputation he once had as a closer in the toughest cases? It’s back!

“I’m getting a tremendous amount of referral work from people who remember,” Gary says. “I’m having a blast. This is as good as it gets.”

Gary is also immersed in his second passion – the training of other lawyers. He conducts Continuing Legal Education seminars for firms and solo practitioners, focusing on trial skills. The goal is to teach the lawyers how to cut the gap between how they speak as lawyers, and how they speak as people. Gary enjoys passing this knowledge on, and he also enjoys the personal connections he makes with young lawyers.
“If you have a trial the next day, and you want to call me at 11 o’clock at night when you need some guidance, that’s what I’m here for.”

Gary has been involved in many charitable causes, most notably a project that he started in which the communities of Lewiston and Auburn, Maine, funded a very extensive immunization education and clean water project in the Doukala region of the Cameroon. This project, administered by Save the Children, significantly decreased the area’s infant mortality rate. Gary also serves on the board for Furniture Friends, a nonprofit organization that provides furniture to immigrants in the Greater Portland area.