Wesley having a ball pursuing his ‘second’ dream

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Gregory Wesley thought he might become a sports agent.

Then, he said, “I realized most of them had law degrees.”

So, he went to law school.

“Since I’m first-generation college, my horizons were really kind of expanded in law school,” Wesley said. “It’s kind of like, you think you know something and you do so much more reading and you’re introduced to so many areas of the law — torts, contracts, civil procedure, intellectual property — and it’s kind of like a ‘wow’ moment. It taught me that depth and experience are really great teachers, because here was so much I didn’t know about the law that I became enamored with.”

When he finally decided to practice law, Wesley acknowledged he still hadn’t let go of his dream.

“I thought I would do sports and entertainment in 10 years. But one year led to two led to five led to 10 and, now, I’m almost 20 years in and I don’t have the interest anymore,” said Wesley, an equity partner and co-chairman of the employment law group at Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan in Milwaukee.

“I really enjoy what I do, and I feel like I’ve been a part of helping build a firm that might have been seen as an underdog.”

“I consider myself an ambassador for the growth of our firm,” which, Wesley said, started with five attorneys in Milwaukee in 1992 and has since expanded to include 116 attorneys in 16 offices throughout the country.

His unofficial ambassadorship also puts Wesley in the community, where he has embraced opportunities as a trustee at the Medical College of Wisconsin, as a board member at the United Way and the Boys and Girls Club, as director of Park Bank, and even as part of the Summerfest board.

“Professor (James) Jones at UW Law School often talked about becoming an important part of your community, the fabric of your community, about lawyers being seen as contributors,” Wesley said. “… For me, everything that I do is kind of motivated by trying to be a person who gives. … You just pay it forward. Someone paid it forward and created an opportunity for me, and I want to do the same, whether it be small or big, you never know what might help.”