Sylvia Gonzalez

Sylvia Gonzalez thought she would be a teacher. A sociology and Chicano studies major at the University of California, Santa Barbara, she volunteered at her old high school one summer and realized teaching was not for her. A class on landmark Supreme Court cases changed her direction. “I realized while becoming a lawyer, you could actually help people,” she says. When no one else would hire her, a personal injury attorney took a chance on her, and reviewing files of injured clients convinced her personal injury was where she belonged.

Sylvia says speaking Spanish sets her apart. Spanish-speaking clients can meet with her or call her directly instead of talking through a paralegal who translates. She also pushes back on the image of attorneys as aggressive or hard to talk to, a stereotype she blames on TV and the media. People who are not lawyers often tell her, “I can’t believe you’re an attorney, you’re so easy to talk to.” Her practice covers vehicle collisions, animal attacks and premises liability cases across Southern California.

About three years into practice, Sylvia tried a case that ended with the jury announcing the defendant was not negligent around 4:15. She asked the judge to poll the jury and counted 8 to 4, one vote short of the nine needed for a verdict. After a sidebar, the jurors were ordered back the next day, and one muttered, “I am going to wring that girl’s neck.” They deliberated about three hours and reversed themselves, finding the defendant negligent. She now polls the jury in every trial.

Sylvia’s closing thought is about ignoring the people who say you cannot. Her parents wanted her to stay home for junior college; she went to UC Santa Barbara instead. They opposed her taking a teaching job in Central America to learn Spanish; she went and stayed a full year. They questioned law school and doubted she would pass the bar; she did both. “Whenever I hear those discouraging comments, I feel encouraged,” she says. Her advice: when someone says you cannot do something, just go do it.

The Law Offices of Sylvia V. Gonzalez, APC, is a personal injury practice serving clients across Southern California. Sylvia Gonzalez handles vehicle collisions, animal attacks and premises liability cases. Over her career she has settled more than 600 personal injury cases and first-chaired seven jury trials. She founded the firm in 2010 after three years as lead litigation attorney at another personal injury firm. She is fluent in Spanish, so Spanish-speaking clients can work with her directly.

Sylvia Gonzalez earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2000, majoring in sociology and Chicano studies. She received her J.D. from Western State University College of Law in Fullerton in 2006 and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2007. She is a member of the Whittier Bar Association, the California Public Defenders Association and the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles.

The Law Offices of Sylvia V. Gonzalez, APC, is based in La Palma, California, and represents injured clients throughout Southern California. Sylvia founded the firm in 2010 and serves as its principal attorney. The firm’s website is svglawfirm.com. Outside the office, Sylvia boxes, kickboxes, salsa dances, walks her dog, watches MMA and spends time with her family.