Employment Law Veteran Gary Phelan Reflects on His Career and Impact on Others
07/10/2025Thirty-five-year employment industry veteran, Partner Gary Phelan sat down for an interview on the Lawyers Who Care video podcast. He shared what initially drew him to law: a mix of journalism aspirations, college law courses, and a powerful influence from Studs Terkel’s book Working, which sparked his interest in the central role employment plays in people’s lives.
In the interview, Phelan discussed how he gravitated toward representing individuals in employment law, eventually co-authoring a treatise on the Americans with Disabilities Act. One highlight of the conversation was a story about a former client who, after hitting a glass ceiling at work, took his advice to explore law school. She is now a successful attorney in California, an outcome that Phelan said reflects the deeper role lawyers can play in helping clients move forward in life, not just through legal victories but by identifying new opportunities. “That’s what keeps me in the game,” Phelan said. “It’s not just about dollars and cents. It’s knowing I made a difference in someone’s life.”