Jose Gonzalez was an American lawyer who practiced in Oklahoma, handling criminal defense, personal injury, domestic, and medical malpractice matters. Born in Laredo, Texas, in 1950, he served as a U.S. Army field medic before becoming a respiratory therapist and then studying law. He was admitted to the Oklahoma bar in 1986 and, with his wife, Pamela Rogers, co-founded Gonzalez & Rogers in Purcell.
Background
Jose Gonzalez was born on November 11, 1950, in Laredo, Texas, and was raised in the same city. Laredo lies on the Rio Grande across from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and it is one of the principal crossing points on the United States–Mexico border. Its position on the international boundary gave the city a long-standing economic and cultural connection with northern Mexico.
He graduated from Laredo High School in 1969. In 1970 he entered active duty in the United States Army, and his service began at El Paso, Texas, where he became a field medic.
Education
Gonzalez graduated from Laredo High School in 1969, a secondary school in Laredo, Texas. After his military service and work as a respiratory therapist, he completed an undergraduate degree at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma, in 1983.
Cameron University traces its origins to 1908, when the Oklahoma Legislature created six agricultural high schools, one in each judicial district. The Lawton school was named the Cameron State School of Agriculture for E. D. Cameron, the state's first Superintendent of Schools. It added junior college courses in 1927, became a four-year college in 1941, and was known as Cameron University by 1974.
He then entered the University of Oklahoma College of Law in Norman and received the Juris Doctor in 1986. The law school was founded in 1909 by a resolution of the university's Board of Regents, with Julien C. Monnet as its first dean. It is Oklahoma's only public law school.
Gonzalez began his professional life with the United States Army. He entered active duty in 1970 at El Paso, Texas, where he became a field medic, and he served as a medical specialist and respiratory specialist. He attained the rank of Specialist Six (E-6) and was honorably discharged from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, an Army post near Lawton that the Army has operated continuously since 1869. His Army service lasted until 1980.
After his military service, Gonzalez worked as a respiratory therapist. Respiratory therapists provide care to patients with breathing and cardiopulmonary disorders.
He was admitted to practice law in Oklahoma in 1986, and his federal admissions included the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. The Tenth Circuit hears federal appeals from several states, including Oklahoma. He practiced in McClain, Cleveland, and Oklahoma counties, handling criminal defense, domestic law, personal injury, and medical malpractice cases.
With his wife, Pamela Rogers, he founded Gonzalez & Rogers in Purcell, a law firm serving McClain County and surrounding areas. The firm's practice covered criminal law, family law, personal injury, and medical malpractice. Purcell is a city in McClain County, Oklahoma, where the firm had its office.
Membership
Gonzalez was a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, the professional association through which the state's licensed attorneys are regulated and serve their profession. He also belonged to the Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Association, an organization of attorneys who represent injured people and others in civil litigation.
Oklahoma Bar Association
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United States
Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Association
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United States
Personality
Quotes from others about the person
His obituary describes him as a lawyer who often represented people who had no one else to fight for them.
Connections
Gonzalez married Pamela Rogers, and the couple co-founded the Purcell law firm Gonzalez & Rogers. Jose and Pam were married in Las Vegas on March 23, 2002. His obituary describes him as a husband, father, grandfather, and brother.
Wife:
Pamela Rogers
Co-founded the Purcell law firm Gonzalez & Rogers with him.
References
In Memoriam, Oklahoma Bar Journal
Oklahoma Bar Association memorial notice giving his birth and death dates, Army service, education, and legal career in McClain, Cleveland, and Oklahoma counties.
Jose Gonzalez, Purcell, OK Attorney
Attorney profile listing his practice areas in Purcell, Oklahoma, his Cameron University and University of Oklahoma education, and his 1986 bar admission.
