Transcript
Speaker: You're listening to the award -winning podcast from Rutgers Law School. The power of attorney. I'm your host and Dean of the Law School, Joanna Bond.
Speaker: If you've ever been on the New Jersey Turnpike, you've probably seen the billboards for GGL Lawyers. The firm has partnerships with Rutgers Athletics, the New York Giants, and Cage Fury Fighting Championships.
Speaker: My guest today. is the first G in GGL. Rutgers Law alumnus William J. Garces He is the founding partner at Garces Graebler and LeBrock. which serves all of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Speaker: Will graduated from Rutgers in 1981. then went straight through Rutgers Law School and earned his JD in 84. The firm he co -founded is on the Index 500 of the largest Latino -owned companies in the U .S. It all started with a humble quest for the American dream that still guides his path today.
Speaker: Will Garces, thank you so much for joining us. A total honor to be here. You have. quite the origin story you were born in cuba where your father was a veterinarian then You came to New Jersey at the age of three with your parents and two younger siblings.
Speaker: Tell us a little bit more about your origin story. Well, I'm originally from Cuba. And I am the oldest of ah my four brothers and sisters. and Arc. We were living in Cuba during the communist revolution and it was horrible. My parents, ah we came from a well -to -do family. My grandfather was a doctor.
Speaker: My ah other grandfather was a very um successful businessman and my mic grandmother was a professor of of Spanish and a professor of um of arts and she was wonderful and i had a great family and um Everything changed overnight, you know, and I saw um my my grandfather went to jail. And on my mom's side, he went to jail and my my father.
Speaker: Lost, you know. he gave up everything. My parents gave up everything to come to this country. um They gave up their homes, their properties, their businesses, everything everything overnight. And... um you know i i You know something about Cuba?
Speaker: I don't remember anything about Cube except one day. the day we left and i'll never forget it because I'll never forget my father putting my head up to the glass of the airplane and my nose got squished against the glass and he told me,
Speaker: Son, look at that. Look at it because you're not going to see that for a long time. And that was Cuba. I was looking at it. We were in the air already. Everybody was crying on the plane. Everybody was crying. And I remember my father putting my face against the glass and saying, look, because it's going to be a long time before you see it again. And boy, you don't know.
Speaker: I've never seen Cube again. which is kind of a long story. but um it's been ah yeah It's been something. my Bye. Parents came here. but My dad was a veterinarian in Cuba. And when he came here, my father couldn't speak English. So my dad looked for work to to sustain his family. You know, three small children and a wife. And my father did everything he could to find work. And he finally found work in a...
Speaker: In a pharmaceutical company, cleaning floors and cleaning animal cages. He was a maintenance man, a janitor. And he did that for about five years, working as a janitor, doing it.
Speaker: But he knew right off the bat we weren't going back to Cuba anytime soon. So we moved to where everybody else was English speaking. And we moved to Denville, New Jersey, actually. And in Denville, New Jersey.
Speaker: I learned. how to speak English. And my father, I love sports. I was very good at baseball. and We started playing and my father became the manager, of the coaches, and we started to learn English. And. Slowly, we started to comprehend the language and we finally got it. And my father.
Speaker: um you know was still having a terrible time trying to maintain his family. And in fact, I remember my dad. When there wasn't enough money to feed the family, he would actually sell his blood And I remember him selling his blood.
Speaker: and buying groceries he'd come in like white as a sheet of paper with groceries in his hand and he'd open up the refrigerator and all there was in the refrigerator in my house was a carton of cold water. That's all we ever had in the refrigerator until my father comes home with groceries. And so he would put the groceries in and...
Speaker: you know life went on but that's something i'll never forget and you know Look, the one thing I learned. This is the greatest country on earth. and that You know, I've lived the American dream, you know, today.
Speaker: I own this huge house in Old Wick, New Jersey with a swimming pool inside the house, believe it or not. It's crazy. That's great. Yeah, it's crazy, crazy. Yours is the classic story of of you know hardworking immigrant parents who want a better life for their children and who work hard at it. And then and then you obviously ah absorbed those lessons about hard work and and diligence. and No doubt about it. And I'll tell you something, freedom and liberty.
Speaker: meant everything to us. Like I saw my mother talk about when you're in a free world, when you're in a free creative society, your imagination runs wild. And listen to this. Remember I told you about my grandfather who was in jail? Well, my grandfather to pass the time in jail.
Speaker: ah he They would give you milk ah water and bread in in those Cuban prisons. And what he did was him and his cellmate cellmates would make chess pieces out of the bread. They made little chess pieces, and they would pass their time playing chess in the prison. Unbelievable. When he got out of jail, he brought those chess pieces home to my mother. and He showed that to my mother. And you know what happened?
Speaker: Years later, when we came to this country. what brought up what gave my father the ability to go back to school and learn. you know, become a veterinarian again was my mother because she.
Speaker: built a business called um Fantasy creations and fantasy creations. We sold bread dough miniatures to everybody. And this is before plastics.
Speaker: When there was plastics, you my mom, she would imitate. All the Walt the the walt Disney. figurines, all kinds of stuff. She would be able to. to make them with her fingers and and but we sold them all over the country. And that allowed my father a little bit of freedom so he could go back to school and become a veterinarian. And then everything changed. We went from.
Speaker: Denville, New Jersey, which is a blue collar. We moved to Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and everything changed. you know My perspective on life changed. Everything. you know it was See, when I was in Denver.
Speaker: I was thinking I was going to be a forest ranger. I love the outdoors and I thought I was going to be a forest ranger. But when we went to Lawrenceville. Man. All of a sudden... I could go to college.
Speaker: You know, I was going to go to college and I was going to and I was going to do something. Man, I got inspired, you know. That's fantastic. And I said, so that's that's kind of like. you know,
Speaker: Kind of the story as far as - That's an incredible story though. And i I love the fact that your mother was so creative in coming up with a product that she could market and and that that allowed your dad to go back to veterinary school. It's just an incredible story. Oh, no. And that, you know, like when I think about, you know - Women in our country, you know like I always say to myself, you know we—
Speaker: Because we're in a free country, our imaginations are unlimited. And if we have liberty and freedom for everybody, women, and everybody, it's our imagination. There's nobody who can beat us. Nobody. Because oh yeah it's unlimited. like I don't look at the world as having like finite resources. i like I look at the world as...
Speaker: as they having infinite resources. All we have to do is have an imagination. You have to be in a creative environment where your mind and your spirits run wild and free. And that's what I saw in my parents. I saw my father do great things. And I saw my mother do great things. And damn it, her son was going to do great things. I love it. I love it. That is fantastic. So so let me ah let me ask you about your journey to Rutgers. What what led you to Rutgers? And then and then after that to Rutgers Law School.
Speaker: Well, I'll tell you, it's kind of I went to Rutgers in New Brunswick, and um I had a cousin who lived in New Brunswick, so I was familiar with the town. and um And what happened is I have a little sister who, her name is Rebecca, and she had a learning disabilities. suffer from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. And my parents were dealing with that. And I couldn't leave. I got accepted in. ah quite a few universities. um but
Speaker: I wanted to not be far from home. And another factor about Rutgers is affordability. I'd be a liar if I told you that wasn't a big deal. It was a big deal, you know? And so affordability and being close to my family was another big deal, okay? So those are the two factors that really, yeah yeah. Well, it doesn't surprise me that you you took your responsibility to the family seriously as as the oldest of of four siblings. And and also that that... affordability was a factor. I mean, that continues to be a factor for a number of our students. And and it's a point of pride for us that that we deliver a a really high quality education at an affordable price. That was really wonderful.
Speaker: and And your decision to come to Rutgers Law School after your Rutgers undergrad experience, was that because of familiarity with with Rutgers at that point?
Speaker: That was a no brainer. I just wanted to be a Rutgers guy all the way through. you know That's great. I love it. loved I loved my undergraduate career and I loved I wasn't going far. You know what I mean? This is great. Oh, yeah, absolutely. Well, so let me ask you about your experience at Rutgers. What what do you think is the most important thing that you learned at Rutgers Law School? You know something? I...
Speaker: To me, I got a lot. I learned that there's no shortcut for hard work. That was one thing I really got. And another thing is, is to treat everybody with dignity and respect with something that really like.
Speaker: my most The eye -opening thing about Rutgers when I went there was the diversity. The diversity in the staff, the diversity in the students. I had friends who were all colors, all races, all. It was wonderful, you know, and that really more than anything else is something I really, really enjoyed. I got it opened my eyes, be honest with you. It was amazing.
Speaker: That's fantastic. Like all of a sudden, I was like, oh my God, this is great. It really, it's it's part of what makes Rutgers very special. We have this very rich diversity of life experience and demographics at the law school. And and it enriches every single thing we do here. So I i completely understand that. Let me ask you a little bit about academics. what Did you have a favorite subject? And if so, what - What was it?
Speaker: Well, look, I like constitutional law because I was an an American history major. So I kind of my undergrad career. And so I loved constitutional law. I love torts law, too. I always look at the world like like, you know.
Speaker: my God, the responsibility we have to maintain our properties and, you know, if there's a deviation in that standard, I just love that. And I also like real property. I love to learn about fee simple and tenancies by the entirety and, right you know, tenants in common. And I loved it. i did you Did you understand rule against perpetuities? Now, be honest. gets I still don't get it. yeah No, very few people do. Yeah, no, I still don't get it.
Speaker: Okay. when you When you think back on your time here at Rutgers Law School, ah what moments or mentors most shaped the way that you approach your professional life today?
Speaker: Well, You know, that I think of three professors that were very, very... They're just quality people, quality human beings. And they. really love what they did and that shaped me because I always wanted to do something that I loved, you know? and ah One of them is Willard Hackle. Dean Willard Heckle. At the time, he wasn't the Dean, but he was he was super. And... um Alfred Slocum was another one. Man, oh man.
Speaker: I loved him. He was a fighter. He was. A real tough guy. I really liked him. And Arthur Canoy. Arthur Canoy was another one that I really... Don't strip. primarily i just loved like i think they led by example you know and it was uh it was an honor to be there you know i always felt privileged i love i felt privileged to listen to them
Speaker: That's great. That's fantastic. I mean, you just named three real icons in in Rutgers Law School ah lore and history. So I'm not surprised that they had an impact on you. They were great.
Speaker: what about after law school what happened after law school where did you go what did you do Yeah, well, you know, what's funny is after law school, what happened was that. A lot of guys, they went off and they took um like they clerked for different lawyers or they did different things with me. um
Speaker: I worked like a dog. i'm not I'm not the smartest guy in the world. I never was. you know I'm the hardest working, most persevering person you ever met, but I'm not the smartest guy in the world. But you'll never find a guy who works any harder than me. I believe that. But what happened was that I i wanted to um take time off. So what I did was I would i went to Bar Harbor, Maine, and I became ah i worked at the Colgate estate. up.
Speaker: cutting flowers to put in their huge mansion. The Kolkata State are the people who own Campbell's Soup. And I would i would adorn their house with flowers. wow and and And I would do all the the gardening outside that had to be done, which I love to do anyway. So that was always fun to do. and At night, I would make pizzas and I would roll pizzas. And that money that I got during the summer is how I paid for my next year's college and law school experience. So that's what I did one year. Another year, I picked cauliflower in South Jersey and I became an incredible cauliflower picker. I believe it.
Speaker: and You know what I learned from that? I learned and it really motivated me. When I went back to school, I wanted to work like a dog. Why? Because I see how hard people work in the real world. Like, you know, this for me was summer work. Hey, these people are doing this day in and day out, hard labor. And you know something?
Speaker: It gave me an appreciation of how blessed I was to have an education. My father used to say to me, son, the most important thing that a man has is what he has between his two ears. because You can take everything from a person. You could take his home. You could take his.
Speaker: his his business. You could take his family. You could take away his country. But you can't take away what a man has between his two ears. And so, you know, that was the thing that I tried to like. I said, well, then, doggone it. I got to put some good things in between my two ears and really, you know, take advantage of it. yeah And that's what I did.
Speaker: Well, that's fantastic. those are Those are words to live by for sure. yeah ah And... And what? What gave you the idea? to practice plaintiff's personal injury work. How did you get into that work?
Speaker: well i'll tell you something i started doing a lot of bankruptcies and i got pretty good at these doing these bankruptcies and one day i was working for a lawyer and One day I saw this man come in with a van full of people and he.
Speaker: Peace. These people sat in this lawyer's office and, you know, fume. Months later, you know this lawyer comes back with checks. Now, I was making $1 ,500 for a bankruptcy, and this guy was showing me checks for $30 ,000, $40 ,000, $50 ,000, $60 ,000. And my eyeballs almost popped out of my head. I said, what? What? And so I started.
Speaker: That's what kind of really opened my eyes to personal injury. Man, there's so much money in it. You know, it's incredible. So, yeah, that was the. ah The driving force. And in fact, the gentleman who brought all those people in.
Speaker: Later on, became a really close friend of mine. And we did we hit it off fantastically. And he kept sending work until, my God, years later. so That's great. Well, that doesn't surprise me either, Will. I mean, you're such a personable guy. i I can imagine that also helped you build the business. But ah do you remember do do you remember your first big personal injury case? Yeah, I do, actually. um It was a case where... ah a woman got slashed.
Speaker: um She was at work. She was going to the dumpster to dump garbage. And somebody came out with a knife and slashed her face. wow and you know, the insurance company, you know, they They were trying to like. nickel and diamond. And they were saying. that it didn't happen at work. It happened outside and nobody wanted the case. And I took it. And remember, I told you about hard work. Well, I got up at five o 'clock in the morning to look at the dumpster myself.
Speaker: And. To my surprise, I found what the cause of that slash was. I found out that there were men who were picking garbage out of that dumpster The doctor who ran the facility was taking his medication and dumping it in the dumpster. He was throwing the medication in the dumpster. These people were going into the dumpster to pick it up. So the doctor. directly caused the injury the injury by dumping that.
Speaker: that medication into the dumpster. I was happy to help that woman get. you know some justice That's fantastic. yeah That's great. and and ah i'm interested in learning more about how you decided to open up your own firm and and what did that process look like? How did you strategize in order to do that?
Speaker: You know something? I always feel like I'm a pretty good businessman, believe it or not. i'm you know i'm I realized that I had a niche market. I mean, Spanish speaking clients were.
Speaker: you know, there weren't many Hispanic lawyers, you know, there was a handful of them and not many. And so I thought, my God, this was a golden opportunity. And in fact, my Spanish improved 100 % because of my contact with clients. And you know, what's funny is.
Speaker: Um, Spanish people have different dialects.
Speaker: And people who don't speak Spanish don't realize it. I'll never forget the first time I heard a Dominican speak to me in Spanish. And I didn't. I couldn't understand what they were saying. And the man who was with me. laughed and he goes, don't worry, son, you'll learn. And it turns out that Dominicans are today, they've been my best clients. It's kind of funny. They're ah they're my most loyal clients. It's so funny. and you know but At one time, I remember I couldn't even understand it, but I realized that I wanted to be close to the communities and you can only. Like, let's say I'm the best. Let's say I'm F Lee Bailey and I'm in Trenton.
Speaker: Well, let me tell you something. Nobody from Newark is going to travel down to see F. Lee Bailey in Trenton. Nobody from Hackensack is going to go. Nobody from Plainfield or Newark or all these places is going to go and travel those distances. So what I said is I've got to set up offices near them. Now, I made one incredibly great decision, which I recommend to any young lawyer out there to do, which is.
Speaker: If you can, try to buy the place where you're opening your office. In other words, what I did is I started buying the locations where I was located and it turned out to be the best decision I ever made because today those buildings are paid off and now all they do is they send me.
Speaker: checks every month. It's really a wonderful thing. So it's like a cash cow, you know? That's great. and And very savvy business decision making on your part back in the day. and Well, you know what it was? It wasn't like what happened was I started seeing other lawyers. I saw another lawyer who owned his own business. And I saw, my God, look at these checks the man's getting from rent. And I figured, let me – and then I i i copied it. you know And it was the best decision I ever made, really.
Speaker: That's so smart. yeah Now, you you mentioned the firm now has 12 offices. and yeah and you had this, as you mentioned, a a natural affinity for... um for Spanish speaking clients. um And. And in February, you began doing social media ads for your firm. in in Spanish. Can you talk a little bit about why that's important to you?
Speaker: Well... You know something? I've always been a big marketer, believe it or not. Like look, when the yellow pages were the big thing. I was one of the first lawyers on the back cover. And I was one of the first lawyers who had a double truck, which means you open the phone book and I was on both sides of it. And so I always try to be ahead of time. And, you know, when I became when I was a young lawyer, that was about the time that they changed the law, because before lawyers couldn't solicit, if you remember, you know, lawyers couldn't advertise. But right about the time I graduated, I started to advertise. And in fact, it got me into some trouble because I was a little bit too aggressive. and um
Speaker: But I'll tell you something. um Yeah, i wanted I've always wanted to keep in touch with the clients. I want them to know we're out there. But I can't take the credit for the billboards, honestly. The billboards were actually my partner's idea. That's ah Lawrence LeBrock.
Speaker: he, travels all over the country and he saw that some lawyers are really spending a tremendous amount of money on advertising on billboards and you know what Billboards don't really generate like people think they generate a ton of work. No, what they do generate is.
Speaker: is some mart like a branding. People know that you exist. Brand recognition. Yeah, brand recognition. All of a sudden they say, hey, there's. Garces gravel in the Brockton. There's Garces. And I always made sure another thing I could tell any young lawyer is spend your money on your signage.
Speaker: I cannot tell you. Signage is so important. you know People pass by. i I can't tell you how many thousands of cases I've gotten because of signage. Signage is very important, you know, name recognition. And I'll tell you another thing that's very important is. You got to look like a lawyer. you know Like.
Speaker: I think that's very important. I learned that lesson the hard way as a young lawyer. it was ah I work seven days a week. And as a young lawyer,
Speaker: I'll never forget. I was playing wiffle ball with some kids in the neighborhood and I got a call about a new case and I ran over to this family. They were a beautiful family. I did the intake in their home. Everything was super. And that was on a Saturday. On Monday, when I walked in the office, I got a letter from another attorney pulling the case. And I said, what? They were such a nice family. I go, what happened? And I called the family. I said, what happened? They said, Mr. Garces, you didn't look like a lawyer. you know and because but You were dressed for Whippleball. Yeah, yeah. So I learned you got to. Looks like a lawyer. If you want to retain clients, you know.
Speaker: Yeah. And what you also what you also said, I think, is also right, which is. um One of the things that's been, that has been like, ah really great for me is if you're personable and if people can see that you care Man, that means everything. You know, people, people want lawyers who care about them, who they feel a sense of. um Yeah. they really care. Like, you know, this is really important, you know? And I think that's really like.
Speaker: being kind to people and having compassion and empathy is such an important thing. You know, I can't tell you enough. And I think that is really, really important. Yeah, it really is. I mean, we we talk about empathetic lawyering in law school. and and it It is really important to to put your client's needs first and to be a client -centered lawyer and to have empathy. ah so
Speaker: So I hope that we're getting that across to law students. But but you're absolutely right. I think it's it's one of those soft skills that's so critically important. Oh, my gosh. It's so important. It's unbelievable.
Speaker: And... yeah If you could go back to law school. today and and speak to yourself on the first day of law school. What advice would you give to that young? students starting out.
Speaker: Well, I'll tell you something I would have done differently. I would have taken a lot more trial advocacy courses. that to me is really important because i'll tell you guys that's where the money is the trial advocacy is what distinguishes one lawyer from the other Bye.
Speaker: I think that's really the really important. like That's something I wish I had a lot more of. you know um And I wish, you know, and the. Those programs were available. I just didn't realize that I let them pass. and You can't let them pass. Those are very important.
Speaker: We don't want to learn the hard way. Take advantage of those opportunities. absolutely Absolutely. Absolutely. So how did you do it? Did you learn on the job? Did you have a ah mentor who sort of well brought you along or did was it just trial and error?
Speaker: Nope, I'll tell you what happened I. and the Rainmaker.
Speaker: I am the rainmaker. I'm the guy who brought out in all the cases. And so that guy who brings all the cases, I can only handle so many cases. And I realized that I was bringing in such a volume of cases. I couldn't do justice to my clients. I couldn't handle it properly. So that's why I started bringing in partners and looking for associates. And that's why today we have 40 attorneys because I need a team behind me. And so now, you know, What happened was I realized. Hey!
Speaker: There are people out there who are excellent trial attorneys and we're bringing them all in and we're trying to build that big firm that has. You know, I'm still a rainmaker. I'm still, and I still handle anybody. I give everybody in my cell phone.
Speaker: Everybody has my cell phone. I take them all. And in fact, my cell phone isn't with me right now because it never ends. Call after call after call. And the funny thing, you know the funny thing? People think. You give away your cell phone.
Speaker: And clients are going to call you a Saturday, Sunday, at night. You want to know something? Very, very, very few calls like that ever. Like maybe I might get a call if it's a brand new car accident or a brand new work injury. Well, I want that call. You know what I mean? Absolutely. You want to find out how's my case? No, that doesn't start from Monday to Friday and boom, that's it. There used to be a time. When I work seven days a week.
Speaker: But. you know One day, it was a Saturday. I was at my desk. Right at this room, actually. I was sitting at this desk. and um
Speaker: I'll never forget. It was a Saturday about three o 'clock and my brother was cleaning his garage with ah two of my friends. And my friends called me up and said, Will, your brother's having some chest pains and, you know, we're going to take him to the hospital. And I said, oh, come on, my brother. My brother's 10 years younger than me and my youngest brother, Rick. And, you know. they're crazy. And I kept working. And about a half hour later, I get a call from my mom and she says, we'll get to the hospital. It's serious. I go to the hospital and I literally watched my brother die in front of me. Because he had a massive heart attack. And since that day, you know.
Speaker: There is like, look. Being a lawyer, you have to take on a tremendous responsibility. I'm taking on other people's problems and I try to do it with a real mission, a real passion. But the thing is, is that you got to take some time for yourself. You got to take time for your family and friends. Absolutely. If I had my whole life to to do over.
Speaker: I made a terrible mistake. um With all the great advice, I believe I got the most wonderful parents in the world as you can. Oh, I can tell, yeah. yeah but um
Speaker: I wish they had told me about biological clocks and women. And what happened was I wanted to be financially strong. um I wanted to be able to take care of my children and never worry about money. And there were times in my childhood when we were hungry. And, you know, my brother Leonard and me specifically. And it's something you never forgot.
Speaker: and um I. I waited until I was financially strong, which was at the age of 40, but I fell in love with a 40 year old woman. And we couldn't have our own children. And I gave up the opportunity. so Today.
Speaker: you know i I miss not having my own children. i I would have loved to have been a dad and to have had a son or a daughter who loves me as much as I love them and as I love my own parents. So that's my one regret. you know um This is a profession that I really love what I do. I love everything about what I do. but i um But there is a price, you know, there's a price and and you have to be careful that you don't overstep it. You know, in other words, you have to be careful because.
Speaker: I may have worked too much and not thought enough about me and my family and you know, now, you know, now I'm 67 years old. I feel great, but doggone it. I, and I have all these buildings and I have, you know, but I don't have children and that, that bothers me a lot. And I wish I did.
Speaker: well My children now are my clients, to be honest with you. I take care of everybody. hit up Right. Oh, I believe it. I believe it. But that's that's really thoughtful and insightful advice for for our new lawyers to sort of you know keep keep that balance in mind. yeah Absolutely. Thank you for sharing that.
Speaker: Yeah. now tell Tell us a little bit about... the Your Ethos Farm to Health Initiative. Well. Because of my brother's heart attack, I ended up.
Speaker: i think I got myself checked.
Speaker: And today, I know you can't tell if you look at me, but um I weigh 160 pounds today. I used to weigh 265 pounds. And what happened was I went and got myself checked. And I found that I had 75 % blockage to every artery to my heart. And they wanted to put stents in me. They wanted to put stents and they wanted to put me on medication the rest of my life. And I looked around and one night it was late at night and. My wife and I saw ah
Speaker: Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a commercial about plants and you know losing weight. and getting healthy. And we followed up on it. And and that's how it started my journey into plant -based medicine. And it turns out that... um you know, I love I... Like we only eat. I'm a vegan now. I'm a vegan. I don't need any animal. i'm um I believe like.
Speaker: you know, i I just love. you know, organic farming. I love the... ah regenerative soil. um I want to stay away from pesticides, herbicides, insecticides. It fascinates me. when i was a kid I would drive by a cornfield and there'd be a thousand birds in the cornfield. Today, you drive by the same cornfield, there's no animal out there, nothing. They put so many chemicals in the food that we're eating now that.
Speaker: The animals don't want that stuff. They're poisoned. or It's just poison to them. And if it's poison to them, it's poison to us. So I can tell you, and I recently had my heart checked again, and I have absolutely zero blockage, zero. from 75 % to zero. I've lost 100 pounds. I feel great.
Speaker: My God, if I took off my shirt, you wouldn't believe it. That's incredible, Will. Well, congratulations on that. That's not an easy thing, but I really admire that.
Speaker: That's great. Well, so. ah is there Is there anything else you'd like to add before we close today? Yeah, you know. I would just like to say something about. this country. You know?
Speaker: um I am bothered by the fact that we have the title illegal aliens. In other words, this is the United States of America. And I'm bothered because this is a land of liberty.
Speaker: the land of freedom, what inspired me. to do everything i've done and and what inspires everybody is our freedom And I don't want to live. Like, God darn it, I don't want to live.
Speaker: and watch people who are afraid to go out. afraid to walk, afraid to go to stores, afraid to do things, afraid to live free. And that really bothers me. you know like This country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty. For thee I sing.
Speaker: you know My God, I'm thinking about... we hold these truths to be self -evident that all men are created equal you know these This is our foundation. We are a free. people and you know something i'm not going to knock anybody i just think that what we have going on see A long time ago, when I started seeing the immigrants coming in during the Bush years, I actually took the liberty. I had some spare time and I took a video camera and I.
Speaker: I followed. how these people were, where were they working? Where were they going? And I took videos of everything. And I saw that it was our major companies, big companies with these big warehouses. You see these warehouses, they look like football fields if you go down the turnpike. And those are filled with undocumented workers. And back in the old days, I was videotaping the whole thing. But what they did was they started giving undocumented aliens.
Speaker: driver's licenses and you ask well why well they did that because they didn't want anybody like me looking at the whole thing you know now you can get all these places are still using illegal aliens what happened was that When... When COVID hit, The world changed.
Speaker: The world changed in that it started bringing on. All these. um And... They realized they couldn't have. our industry, our mass.
Speaker: industry abroad. They had to bring that industry home. And the only way that we could compete with China was if we had cheap labor. So what we started to do is we start to bring people in and we brought them here. They so they came here for the same thing that everybody else came. They came in for a better life, for their family, for their friends. and They came in looking for a better existence. and It just breaks my heart to see people. so fearful, you know, and It takes away.
Speaker: what our country stands for. You know, this is Statue of Liberty. It sits in the. in the bay and says, bring me your tired, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Damn it. We're Americans. We are a nation of foreigners. We have got to use our creativity. I'm not saying that our borders should be free and everybody should be able to walk in. No, I'm not saying that at all. But I'm saying that people who are here deserve our respect. They deserve our dignity. And it bothers me that we're not doing that. We're Americans. We have to encourage people. We we have to change our immigration policies. We have to make it so it's just for everybody, you know, and it's just.
Speaker: I'm just saying we have to open our hearts. you know Open our hearts and do what's right. you know We knew that. you know Slavery was wrong. We knew that what happened to the Indians was wrong. We're not a perfect nation, but damn it, we're a great nation. We're a good nation. We're always looking to get better. What will make this country a lot better?
Speaker: is when we're really really cherish every human being that's here who's trying to better their lives. Let me tell you, I deal with Hispanics all day. Day in and day out. Thousands and thousands of them. And I can tell you, 1 % might be criminal. And if they're criminal, I'll be the guy who opens the door and kicks them out personally. You know, because we are here to make our better lives for this, for our families and for our great country. You know, we come here in search of the American dream.
Speaker: the American dream you know built on the backs of all the labor that's come here we you know we have to really we have to come together as a nation and come with a real answer and deporting people and this ice this is crazy we really got to do the right thing so that's the one thing i would like to share
Speaker: Well, I so appreciate that, Will. And and i I have to thank you for sharing your story with us today because I've told you this before. I think it's an incredibly inspiring story. ah And and i I so appreciate that you're willing to share it with with all of us. and um I...
Speaker: it's inspiring to me. So I hope that it inspires some young people who are
Speaker: who are possibly thinking about um going to law school, who may be first generation, maybe they don't have any lawyers in their family. Maybe they have immigrant parents who like yours, who, you know, worked hard to put them in a position to ah take advantage of educational opportunities. So again, thank you so much for sharing with us today. Thank you. Thank you. And like I said, I'm blessed to have had the opportunity to go to Rutgers and it's been wonderful throughout. I love the state of New Jersey. and I love this country and I really want to just... I love it very, very much and it bothers me when things aren't.
Speaker: the right the way they should be. Agreed. agreed all right well thanks so much will take care thank you again i appreciate it thank you The Power of Attorney is a production of Rutgers Law School.
Speaker: with two locations just minutes from New York City and Philadelphia. Rutgers Law offers the prestige and reputation of a large, nationally known university with a personal, small campus experience.
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