World’s Population Reaches 8 Billion; Gary Wallace Retires from Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry

On November 30, 1979, Pink Floyd released “The Wall.”

On November 30, 1990, Oscar Wilde died in Paris.

On November 30, 2004, Ken Jennings ended his 74-game win-spree on Jeopardy.

The most earth-shattering November 30 event, however, occurred in calendar year 2022, Gary’s last day at Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry. On this day, the moon will be in a waxing crescent phase, best seen in the west after the sun dips below horizon at sunset.

I tried to brush up on my legal persuasion skills before trying to convince Gary to participate in a formal interview for the Blog. When I asked him, though, I was shut down immediately with a “Not a chance, Ma’am” an answer which was 100% anticipated. So, against his wishes, here is a little bit about Gary:

Gary has been practicing workers’ compensation defense law for nearly 40 years. His first job was with the City of Chicago, where his first trial was before Arbitrator Herbert Auw, circa 1984. Gary was admitted to practice in 1983, went to Chicago-Kent law School, did some petitioner work in his early career, and spent the most recent almost-19 years of his practice with Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry. As an attorney, Gary is known for his cut-to-the-chase, down-to-earth and personable way of practicing law.

Gary has followed several simple rules that have left his legacy at the firm and left a legacy for fellow practitioners: (1) Consider a phone call over email; (2) Be honest; (3) Lift your head up from your desk and have a friendly conversation with your colleague; (4) Be an attorney that your colleagues and peers can trust; and (5) Cut down on the Blah Blah Blah, for the sake of your client and for the sake of the world. These are all simple but valuable lessons.

November 30th was also an important day for Barbados in 1966, having declared its independence from Great Britain. On the same day in 2022, Gary Wallace declares his independence from employment and the practice of law. All of us at the firm will miss you, and your greatness will continue to echo through the walls of our office. Speaking of walls, the attached picture of Gary was found by surprise in the hallway of my kids’ school, and depicts a young Gary Wallace amongst his graduating class, at the age of about 13.