WHO IS GARY GOYETTE, FOUNDER OF GOYETTE LAW WEST?
. . .
An engineer dies, and because of a glitch in the system he is sent to Hell instead of Heaven. While in Hell, the engineer, with an eternity of time on his hands, works to improve the conditions: Installing cooling units, fountains, improved ventilation, the works. God gets word of what is going on in Hell–and what happened with the engineer–and demands Satan return the engineer to heaven, where he belongs. Satan refuses. Enraged, God threatens to sue. Satan laughs. “Where are you gonna find a lawyer in heaven?”
Lawyer jokes are popular for a reason. No one likes needing a good lawyer to work out a resolution to a conflict or complicated situation. But to make sure your rights are protected and you are fairly represented legally? A good lawyer is exactly what you need. A great lawyer is what you get with Gary Goyette.
Gary Goyette graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1986. Immediately upon graduating he worked as an environmental consultant for a national environmental firm in the Bay Area. With a classmate, he founded GOYETTE & JEONG Environmental Consultants, Inc.. As a small business owner, Gary handled every aspect of the business, from contracts to taxes to billing to hiring. Gary knows more about employment law than your average lawyer because he was a small business owner. And he knows more about technicalities because he was once a mechanical engineer.
In 1999, the engineer decided to become a lawyer. Graduating from Brooklyn Law School in 2002, Gary turned down a snazzy six-figure salaried Park Avenue law firm offer to come home to work at a small employment law firm in California, where the most complex and protective wage laws governed in one of the largest economies in the world. Right out of the gate, not yet a year out of law school, Gary dove into class action litigation and took on an investment banking firm, eventually winning a $1.4 million dollar wage law settlement for the class. It was the first of many big wins due to Gary’s detailed and tireless class litigation work (please see the list of example successful cases below). After eighteen years of fueling successful growth at the small firm, Gary founded GOYETTE LAW WEST APC, a law firm focused on those with workplace issues who need immediate attention, a law firm ready and willing to wade through all the red tape, fine print, labor codes and California-specific legalities to make sure clients’ workplace rights are protected.
Gary has gone to bat for employees and employers alike, in cases spanning the work-issue spectrum, focusing on wage law issues – – from unpaid overtime to missed meal & rest periods to misclassified employees – – to harassment and discrimination claims. And if his legal record were a batting average? He’s at .995. Clients call Gary Goyette, “my wage-and-hour guy”, “the guy I go to with my questions”, “[Gary is] my case”. His work ethic, diligence, and attention to detail is obvious to any attorneys or employees who have worked with him (or opposed him). His technical training allows him to break things down and see the minutiae others miss. He is known for answering client calls late at night, on weekends – – at all times, and if he misses a call, his call backs are typically in 5 or 10 minutes. He’s the boring guy who hunkers down, grinds it out, reads the fine print, does the work you need him to do to argue your case. Gary’s more comfortable in cargos and Cal-gear than a suit–but he will put one on for you, because he understands why workplace issues are important, and why resolving them–in a timely manner– is so critical.
Gary Goyette lives in Sacramento with his college sweetheart, now his wife, and their two children, three dogs, and five cats. He has a 20 year old recent teenager daughter (a junior at Cal-Berkeley) and an 18 year old teenager (barely) son (a freshman at Santa Clara University). His quote, a takeoff shamelessly stolen from Ned Stark: “Depositions are easier than teenagers.”
He likes to watch college football, play Dylan on piano and guitar, wear sarcastic t-shirts and listen to the Dead – – including the one of many great Dead lines, on point for using detailed assessment to find the key legal or factual point needed to prevail: Once in awhile you get shone the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.”