Gary E. Hill

Biography

Gary Edward Hill is a courtroom litigator with over 35 years of litigation experience in county, state, and federal courts. Since moving to Iowa in 2007, Gary has focused on divorce, custody, and litigated matters involving domestic violence.

Gary was born and raised in south Texas. He graduated from high school in Edinburg, Texas. The southern border of Gary’s home county in Texas is the Rio Grande River. Hidalgo County is the poorest county in Texas. One of his proudest accomplishments is securing a full-time summer job at age 15 and working every year since then.

Gary attended the University of Texas where he secured a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and he majored in accounting and the business honors program. Gary worked in the kitchen at his dorm in college. He worked full time in the summer months delivering appliances. During his undergraduate years in Austin, Gary was hired by the prestigious law firm of Vinson & Elkins as an office assistant and law clerk.

Upon graduating from the University of Texas, Gary was admitted to law school at the University of Houston. He worked at Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Ward as a network engineer and paid his way through law school (with help from his parents). Gary was licensed by the state of Texas in 1984, and he immediately made a name for himself trying jury cases to verdict. He specialized in workers’ compensation and catastrophic loss cases. Gary made partner at a litigation boutique by 1999 and was Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law that same year.

During his time in law school, Gary met his future wife who graduated from the University of Iowa in 1980. Julie Coates lived in the small town of Cromwell (Gary likes to call this a suburb of Creston). They were married in Cromwell in 1985. After many trips to Iowa to spend holidays and summer days with Julie’s extended family, Julie and Gary moved their family, now consisting of two children, to Iowa. Julie formally worked at Simpson College. Their children attended college in Iowa and live in Warren County. Their family now includes three dogs, a cat, and they live in the beautiful state that is Iowa. Gary loves the outdoors and enjoys watching his neighbors plant and harvest their corn, soybeans, and hay fields.

After moving his family to Iowa, Gary worked at Iowa Legal Aid as a senior staff attorney. He created a family law unit and supervised all family law intakes for the central Iowa region. In this role, it was not unusual for Gary to review over three dozen cases a week and process selected cases for representation or other resolution by the attorneys and staff at Iowa Legal Aid. It was at this time that Gary was called upon to use his litigation skills representing victims of domestic violence. This experience made a deep impression and Gary is proud of his time representing those who are underserved in the legal arena.