Business Builds Community. Community Builds Business.

FOR GARY LESSER, SHOWING UP, GETTING INVOLVED AND GIVING BACK HAVE SHAPED A CAREER GROUNDED IN SOMETHING BIGGER THAN BUSINESS.

Throughout his life, Gary Lesser’s favorite saying has been his North Star: “When good people get together, good things happen.”

Look at the way he grew up, built his career, raised a family with his wife, Jennifer, and led his law firm while serving his profession and the region he calls home … and it’s easy to see why those words resonate.

As Managing Partner of Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel – Florida Injury Lawyers, Gary leads a 99-year-old Florida personal injury law firm founded by his grandfather in West Palm Beach in 1927. In a profession known for highly visible advertising, Gary instead has built the practice around what he calls the 3Rs — relationships, referrals and reputation — a model that has generated thousands of cases over the years.

Since joining his father Shep at the family firm, Gary has made giving back an important part of how he works and leads. For decades, he has demonstrated his belief that businesses can strengthen the communities they serve, creating an environment where people, organizations and businesses can thrive.

More Than Writing a Check

Gary’s approach has never been limited to financial contributions. It has meant showing up — serving on boards, chairing initiatives, advocating for organizations, providing pro bono legal services, raising funds, connecting people and lending his experience to causes large and small.

When he took the helm of the family firm, he made that spirit of service integral to how the practice would operate and grow. His team of 12 trial attorneys advocate for serious personal injury clients throughout Florida while investing time and resources in meaningful causes.

By 2010, the impact was significant enough to quantify. The firm reported more than $160,000 in donations and underwriting and 2,500 volunteer and pro bono hours in a single year. Those efforts earned the firm the PR News Legal PR Award for Social Responsibility/Philanthropy.

More meaningful than an award received years ago, however, is what happened afterward: the commitment continued. Today, the firm averages more than $400,000 in annual donations and underwriting and more than 3,500 volunteer and pro bono hours.

Find What Matters to You

One of the most personal ways Gary puts that philosophy into practice begins when he welcomes a new attorney to the firm.

Rather than directing new attorneys toward causes selected by the firm, Gary encourages them to find a nonprofit mission that is personally meaningful. The firm then supports those organizations through financial contributions while encouraging its attorneys to give generously of their time and leadership talents to advance those missions.

It’s a simple idea with the potential for lasting impact.

The experience gives attorneys an opportunity to form their own connection to a cause and establish a tradition of giving back that can grow throughout their careers. Gary isn’t simply continuing a culture of service. He’s empowering the next generation to make it their own.

A Life of Showing Up

Gary certainly leads by example.

Across the years, his service has touched education, legal aid, economic development, homelessness, the arts, healthcare and civic life. His current and past leadership includes the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Economic Council of Palm Beach County, Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County, Young Singers of the Palm Beaches and Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, among many others.

That same dedication extends to his profession. After a decade on The Florida Bar Board of Governors, Gary served as the 74th President of The Florida Bar from 2022 to 2023, following years of leadership on committees addressing legislation, ethics, court rules and other issues affecting the practice of law in Florida. He is also the Founding President of the Jewish Lawyers Association of Palm Beach County, which unites Jewish attorneys and allies in advancing, justice, integrity and fighting antisemitism and within the legal community and the community writ large.

Different organizations. Different missions.

The common denominator is showing up and doing the work.

And perhaps that’s the larger legacy Gary is building. At the firm, he’s encouraging a new generation of attorneys to find causes they care about and make their own commitments. At home, he and Jennifer have raised three daughters — Lillian, Josie and Rebecca — with the example of a life in which giving back isn’t reserved for a particular event, campaign or stage of a career.

Over time, the impact reaches beyond boards served, hours volunteered or checks written. It’s found in organizations strengthened, people brought together and others inspired to find their own ways to contribute.

Perhaps Gary’s greatest impact is inspiring more good people to keep it going.

Because while one act of kindness may seem small, its impact can be anything but.

GET CONNECTED

Gary Lesser, Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel • 772-283-6839 • lesserlawfirm.com