Introducing “The People Who Make Virginia” Podcast

In the first episode of The People Who Make Virginia, presented by Gray Broughton Injury Law, hosts Sharif Gray, Gray Broughton and Harry Fonseca introduce themselves and explain the show’s purpose. 

Gray shares his Richmond upbringing, Army JAG service after 9/11 with deployments including Iraq, and ultimately the founding of Broughton Injury Law in Richmond, Virginia in 2018, now a 15-person firm. 

Harry recounts immigrating with his mother from Managua, Nicaragua to Virginia in 2007, at the age of 12, starting personal injury intake work in 2016, and now serving as head of intake and business development for the Gray Broughton firm. 

Sharif describes growing up in Northern Virginia, but also spending years of his childhood in Egypt and Lebanon, before attending VMI and UVA Law. Years of army trial experience, federal clerkships and working in big law ultimately led to discovering personal injury law, which has become his passion. Sharif also hosts the popular "Courtroom Stories & Tactics" podcast, which profiles trial lawyers from across the country and their advice for young lawyers entering the field.

The People Who Make Virginia however does not have a legal focus specifically, but rather a broader aim of shining a spotlight on Virginia's community leaders, behind-the-scenes contributors and unsung heroes, to give them a platform to share their stories and projects. With put a particular focus on veterans, and their unique angle and experience.

The goal is to show how people are contributing to Virginia, to give them recognition, and to enable connections that make our communities stronger.

These are The People Who Make Virginia: “Real Stories from Virginia’s Leaders.”

If we can ever be of help to you, give us a call at 1-877-VETS WIN, or visit https://www.graybroughton.com.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the People Who Make Virginia. Real stories from the people making a difference in our communities. Brought to you by Gray Broughton Injury Law, a veteran-led trial-ready law firm.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

All right, I'm excited about this, guys. So this is the very first episode, everyone, of the People Who Make Virginia. And yes, I did have to just look at my phone to make sure I didn't screw up the title. But, anyways, really excited that we're doing this together. Our firm is starting a podcast called The People Who Make Virginia. And our tagline is Real Stories from Virginia's Leaders. And of course, it's presented by our firm, Gray Broughton Injury Law. We've got myself, Sharif Gray, Gray Broughton, and then Harry Fonseca with us. What we want to do just for our first episode is do a little bit of kind of well, who are we? What are we doing? And why are we trying to do this? And so I thought the best way for us really to get started is let's just go around the room and talk about who we are. And then once we get past that, we'll go into what we're doing and why we're doing this so we can give our listeners really just a preview of what to expect from this podcast. Gray, if you wouldn't mind starting by introducing yourself.

SPEAKER_03 1:07

Yeah, I would love to. So I'm Gray Broaden. Um originally from Richmond, Virginia. Grew up here, lived in Spotswood Park near Tucco Elementary School. Went to Tucco Elementary School and then Tucco Middle and then switched over to collegiate for high school. I left and I played sports my entire life. Played football, wrestled, and played baseball. Went to Davidson College in North Carolina, where I played football and wrestled and did ROTC. Met my wife there. She was a cheerleader. I was a football player, very sort of like stereotypical American story. She was a year ahead of me in school, but we both went to Washington and Lee for law school, which is close to an institution that you know and love.

SPEAKER_02 1:43

Yeah, I like how you use the word institution and not school. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 1:47

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:48

That could be good or bad.

SPEAKER_03 1:49

Yeah, we both went there for law school. And when we finished up, my wife was in Maguire Woods here in Richmond. I did RTC in undergrad, so I had a commitment to go into the Army following law school. And so 9-11 happened right after I graduated law school. I was already committed. My wife, who was working at a big firm at the time, did something that was completely unthinkable. She quit her job at a big law firm to join the Army post-9-11. And we ended up going to the JAG school in Charlottesville and at Fort Lee. We were then stationed in Korea first and then Germany. I spent some time in Iraq and Baghdad, where I did operational law. I was also a prosecutor in the Army. Moved back to Richmond, kind of did what people with the education that I had and the background that I had, you know, it's like go to big law. So I worked at Williams Mullin for nine and a half years. Good friend of mine was in a really bad car crash with his son. That kind of moved me into the personal injury space. And during that whole time, every once I started working at a big firm, I almost immediately thought of like what are ways, what are things that I can do to not have to work at a big firm for my entire life. So the recession hit in like 2007, 2008. So I did what most normal people would do is I leaned into it, and I'm joking about that. I decided to open up a Jimmy Johns franchise while I was an associate at a law firm. And so that kind of like sparked my entrepreneurial tour, if you will. And that was crazy. That was something where if I knew then what I know now, I would not have done it. It was just completely nuts. But um ended up opening up a bunch of different Jimmy Johns restaurants here in Richmond and even one in Newark, New Jersey, which was a humongous mistake. And also along the way, a buddy of mine and I, we opened up a race company where we put on races at places like Hardywood, did a race for New Belgium, we did a race up in Ashburn with lost rhinos. Basically, the premise was kind of cool. You go do a run in the evening or on a Saturday, and then you start and finish at a brewery, and then you have, you know, beer and food trucks. It was a lot of fun. It was not not really something where we made a lot of money, but learned a lot of lessons along the way. And then eventually went off on my own, opened up what was brought in injury law, and that was back in like oh gosh, I think 2018. And uh been doing ever since. And so went from myself in a paralegal to now, I think we're at 15 people as of today. And so, yeah, that's kind of my story. I've been alive a little bit longer than both you guys, so I thought my story is slightly longer.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

Just a little bit, right? Now, important question favorite Jimmy John sandwich?

SPEAKER_03 4:27

So now it would be probably the ultimate Italian that didn't exist back when I owned Jimmy Johns. They were bought out by private equity, they've kind of like changed how they do things, still good. So the Italian nightclub.

SPEAKER_02 4:40

Is that the number nine?

SPEAKER_03 4:41

The number nine at hot peppers. That was my like go-to. And there was a period of time where I was eating Jimmy Johns like at least three or four times a week. Because I had to, you know, of course, I had the product quality test. I'd go to the different restaurants at lunchtime and like talk to people and and eat sandwiches. And yeah, that's not not great for like your health. It's a lot of sodium, a lot of um still a big Jimmy Johns fan.

SPEAKER_02 5:02

Awesome. Well, thank you, Gray.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Fast forward to now. That's why we get it catered all the time. Now now I get it. Now I get it.

SPEAKER_02 5:08

Yeah, a lot of Jimmy Johns sandwiches. So Harry is our head of intake and business development. Harry, why don't you take a second to introduce yourself?

SPEAKER_01 5:16

Sure. My name is Harry Fonseca. Uh, I'm originally from Nicaragua, Managua, Nicaragua, to be expected. I like that R.

unknown 5:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:23

Yeah. Very well. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:24

You sure he's not from New Jersey.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

It's surprise. Yep. I was born in Nicaragua. Uh, moved here in 2007. I was 12 with my mother. Very typical immigrant story, you know. Hardworking mother, wanted a better life for her child. We immediately moved to Virginia, more specifically, Henraiko. I went to middle school in Henraiko, moved to Hanover County, and that's where I went for my first three years of high school. And then ultimately we had to move to Colonial Heights to finish my senior year, and that's where I graduated high school. But we've made just a huge circle around Richmond. We have made Virginia our home ever since. I have learned a lot. You know, as soon as I graduated, the plan was to go to college, did some of that, but again, son of an immigrant mother that needed me to help, so I decided, you know what, I want to, instead of focusing on college, I want to work, help my mama, and um just build myself up. You know, I I got my first real job, if you will, back in 2016, and that's where I was introduced to the world of personal injury, was doing intake. The firm that I was with, you know, took a chance on a young 20-year-old. Turned out pretty well. You know, I got a lot of experience and learned a lot, saw a lot, met a lot of people. Fast forward 10 years later. I'm part of a great team here at Great Bron where I'm able to build my own team, processes, and enjoy coming to work with just a bunch of great people.

SPEAKER_03 7:02

Be sure to pay you for that.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me but yeah, I mean, a little bit of background. I got married in 2021. My wife and I are now parents to a two-year-old. His name is Luca. We love the little guy. So the last two years have been very, very busy, but very full of new adventures with what comes to be a parent. You know, there's I've heard it a million times, like there's no guide or any sort of like how-to on becoming a parent. So it's just been a roller coaster of emotions.

SPEAKER_02 7:37

And your child, Lucas, shares the same exact birthday as my two-year-old.

SPEAKER_01 7:42

Yeah, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 7:43

I know. That's crazy. Same hospital?

SPEAKER_01 7:45

No.

SPEAKER_02 7:46

Different hospital. This from the same same state, though. So same state. So again, whole Virginia podcast, right? Same state, all that. Anyways. He's first generation now. Hell yeah. I like it. I like it. Well, Harry, obviously, we really enjoy having you, and I'll make sure Gray gives you that extra bonus for the for presenting such a good face on the podcast. So anyway, my name is Sharif Gray. I joined Gray almost two years ago at this point. And we've really blossomed, I thought. We've grown a lot. We've done a lot of good work for our clients. My background grew up in Northern Virginia, D.C. area, but as a kid, I lived in both Egypt and Lebanon. Egypt for four years, Lebanon for a year. I'm half Egyptian. And then That's why you walk that way. It is why I walk that way. It's actually there's an well, I'll behave. There's a number of things uh that I think have influenced me for my upbringing, good and bad. Anyways, I went to high school up in Northern Virginia, went to VMI, Virginia Military Institute, next to WL, not nearly as fun, but really looking back, like certainly couldn't have picked a better place, at least for me. Then went to UVA for law school and then did the Army thing as a lawyer, really got my hands on a bunch of trial work, which I didn't appreciate at the time, like how valuable of an experience that would be. Especially I just thought this is what lawyers did. And I learned after I got out of the military that's just not most people's lawyers don't find themselves in courtrooms. Clerk for a couple federal judges, went to big law, did not last long, jumped back into trial work on the criminal side as a prosecutor, and then realized I wanted to go fight the man again because I did a lot of criminal defense work in the army. I joke, but it's a lot of fun when you when there's a real challenge representing a human being against significant odds and trying to get him through the process. And I found personal injury have really fallen in love with the work, especially with the trial work, and we've put together a hell of a team. So, why this podcast? What are we trying to do with this podcast? This is not going to be a legal podcast, right? I mean, I think all of us, our roots are in Virginia. Virginia is our homes. This is where we have grown up. This is where we intend to stay, right? Our firm is a Virginia-based firm, and the work that we do is work that's rooted in our communities. It's about the people. I mean, because ultimately we represent people who are hurt at no fault of their own. And through this podcast, at least I believe our hope is that we're going to be bringing on leaders in Virginia and not necessarily just political leaders or business leaders, but people who are making a difference in their communities and being able to give them that spotlight and so people know who they are and what they bring to the table and hopefully allow our listeners to meet those people. So that's probably I think what I'm most excited about in terms of what we're doing. What do you guys are hoping to get out of this or hoping we do with this podcast going forward?

SPEAKER_01 10:39

I would love to just sit down and talk to interesting individuals in the community. Like you said, whether it be business owners or whether it be people that are making a difference within their niche or their companies or whatever they're trying to do with themselves.

SPEAKER_03 11:05

Yeah, and and for me, really looking to kind of talk with some of like the unsung heroes of Virginia. So the people who might be out in front of the camera uh are mostly people who are behind the scenes making Virginia. And so I would also be interested in in hearing from and or having as guests veterans. I mean, our firm, we have so your Shreef you and I were in the Army. We have Zach Gruba, who is a Marine. We have uh Shea Gibbons who's joining us, who's also Army, and we have Taylor Sprohe, who's joining us late summer, early fall, who is currently a Navy Jag. So And John. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:41

John Razak.

SPEAKER_03 11:42

I'm sorry, yes. I was like, who's John? We have so many hires.

SPEAKER_02 11:45

It's like let's flag this. John Razak makes sure you re you go back in time and push play and listen to that again.

SPEAKER_03 11:52

Yeah, yeah. He's only the guy who is, you know, airborne ranger or intelligence officer. That's right. You know, Mr. Hua. That's right. Um, but yeah, so yeah, he'll he'll love this that portion.

SPEAKER_02 12:01

Uh yeah, he starts with us next week, so I'll make sure he listens to this.

unknown 12:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:05

But yeah, so we have a rich military history. There are a lot of veterans with great stories here in Virginia, and there are a lot of people who are from Virginia, you know, and even from the Richmond area like myself. And then there are people like Harry who've come to Virginia, made Virginia their home, and made it a place where they are contributing and have these awesome stories that they have throughout their life.

unknown 12:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 12:27

I'm excited. I think it's gonna be really cool. Definitely a choose your own adventure type thing, at least for us when it comes to this podcast. And certainly I will be open to listener feedback and seeing what people want to hear. But I think our goal is, again, this is not a legal podcast, right?

SPEAKER_03 12:40

This is It's not illegal. It's not illegal.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

Hold on. You're gonna hear a lot of gray brought in jokes over the course of this podcast. Yeah, yeah. I won't spoil them. There's a couple that I've inherited now, which my wife is not happy with me. Um, but anyways, knock on wood. I think it's gonna be at a minimum, it'll be entertaining. I can promise that. I can't help myself. So it's going to be entertaining. Whether that gets me in trouble or not, we'll find out.

SPEAKER_03 13:04

Got my HR hat over here in the corner. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:06

Just in case. Thank you. HR. Well, thankfully, we brought on Misty Tyler. That was my assistant who has an HR background. So we'll knock on wood, she'll Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:14

Thank God this is all recorded and video recorded. Yeah, we got it double. We got it, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

So I'm screwed, basically. That's basically what you're saying. Why are we doing this? I rec so we talked about who we are kind of as individuals, and I, of course, I'm sure our listeners can get a sense of kind of who we are as a firm from that. We've talked about what we're doing or at least what we're trying to do. Why are we doing this? Why is a personal injury law firm, a trial firm, with our headquarters in Richmond, Virginia, deciding to take the time to share these stories of the unsung heroes in Virginia, the leaders in Virginia?

SPEAKER_03 13:49

We meet people every day who come to us, and it's you know, typically people who've been injured through no fault of their own. And we meet a lot of people who are going through what might be the worst thing that they've ever been through in their life. And all these different people have have their own story. And so we get to be part of that story or hopefully get to help them be on the upswing. Uh but also kind of selfishly, I really am looking forward to just hearing about the different people who are in Virginia who are making it run. So from a personal standpoint, I want to be sort of that vehicle or that opportunity for people to to come on who otherwise wouldn't get a spotlight. And really to just educate myself and you know, at the same time also educate people who are fortunate to have as listeners and learn as well. And so have a lot of fun and opportunity to really try to spotlight on on people who otherwise might not get it.

SPEAKER_01 14:43

And on that, although we're so used to and love helping the people that are going through these tough times, it'd be nice to sit down, you know, and have that different conversation, you know, the positives, you know, the things that they enjoy doing and the things that they're working on doing. That'd be also a reason why, in my opinion. Ultimately, as a firm, we would love to keep these relationships going. Not just sit down one time for 30 minutes to an hour and then buy, but no, we would love to keep in touch with these individuals.

SPEAKER_03 15:14

Yeah, and I would maybe just add, like, we see people at a lot of times the worst time in their life, but I would say of the three of us, and probably almost everyone at our firm is like we're very much like optimistic people who try to find the silver lining, try to find the positive in everything. And so have people on and have it be something positive, have it be something where we're showing how people are contributing to Virginia, how they're bringing a positive impact to the Commonwealth, is just awesome in my mind.

SPEAKER_02 15:42

Now Abuzaki comes to mind, seems to come to mind often for me, and as I'm sure Gray and Harry can attest. So Nile's family, amazing story, and of course, I'm sure we'll provided Nile shows up to work and isn't outside the country, we'll probably have him on as a guest at some point. But uh, that was somewhat of a joke, but not really. I'm sure Nile will hear this and text me. His family has a few dairy queens. They've worked very hard. I mean, they are the true immigrant story of coming over from a village in Lebanon, truly like a village in the mountains of Lebanon. Dad doesn't speak English, starts delivering pizzas, eventually buys a gas station that he flips, and then fast forward 20, 30 years, and they own a few dairy queens, have a lot of realty. Nile's a judge, his brother's a a really, really, really sophisticated uh cardiologist, uh, interventional cardiologist, I believe, if I got that phrase right. Their family is just doing awesome. But Nile tells a story about at least to me, about what is the point and the importance of the person who's working at Dairy Queen serving ice cream. And he reframes it. And I'm hoping we can kind of do this with our guests, is that they don't sell ice cream at Dairy Queen as crazy as that sounds. I mean, they do, but they're not really selling ice cream. Right. They're selling comfort when someone's having a rough day and they want that ice cream, and they're selling happiness when someone wants to celebrate something. And to talk about like just that person who's behind the counter, who's taking that order from the person who's come in looking for either that comfort or that happiness, and the power that that person who many of us don't even really notice, right, has to impact that person's day, the person there for the ice cream and their family members and all the people that that person then leaves and interacts with after the fact is real and it's significant. And so I think our hope collectively, and I think I speak for all of us when I say is we want to be able to shine a spotlight on those people, on the everyday people who they are doing just amazing things, but just don't get the credit and don't get the recognition. And hopefully by us doing that, we can encourage one, we hold ourselves accountable, let's make sure we're adding value, and two, let's hopefully we can be a model for others to also, at least when we're out there, make sure that we're adding value. So I'm very excited about this in terms of like what it's gonna ultimately look like. Who knows? It's gonna be an adventure. But we've got a handful of guests lined up. And I think at the end of the day, if it's fun, we're adding value. I think it's a mission, it's a job well done.

SPEAKER_03 18:26

I'm super excited, looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_02 18:28

Same. Let's do it. Awesome. All right, guys. Well, stay tuned. We'll have our first official episode out here shortly.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

Thanks for listening to this episode of The People Who Make Virginia by Gray Broughton Injury Law. If we can ever be of help to you, give us a call at 877 VetsWin. That's 877 V E T S W I N