Gordon Gates is the managing partner of Springfield law firm Gates, Wise, Schlosser & Goebel and plans to retire at the end of May.
He has a degree in business from University of Iowa and a juris doctorate from Northern Illinois University College of Law. Gates moved to Springfield following his law school graduation in 1986, initially working for Londrigan, Potter and Randle P.C. After 12 years, Gates left to start his own firm with Peter Wise and Fred Schlosser.
Gates serves on the board of trustees for Lincoln Land Community College, a position he was first elected to in 2017. He has also been active in various community organizations, including serving as board president of Mini O’Beirne Crisis Nursery.
Gates and his wife, Kristine, have three adult children – son Max and daughters Ellyn and Anna.
Where were you born and raised, and what was your first job?
I was born in Chicago Heights, but we quickly moved to Champaign where we spent three years, then three years in Albany, Illinois. Then we moved to Sterling when I was in third grade, and that’s where I was raised.
I apparently had a gift for janitorial work. My first job was working in my parents’ laundromat, mopping the floors and cleaning out the washing machines. Then I went to work for J.C. Penney as a janitor, then I worked the night shift at Sterling Clinic doing janitorial work during college.
What first drew you to the legal profession?
I have an aversion to unfairness and angry conflict, and, as a college student, I kept seeing situations where lawyers could be agents of justice and fairness and be peacemakers. I was looking for an honorable profession where I could do a bit of good while earning a living, and I love to write. Plus, I’m not necessarily very good at being an employee, so I needed something where I could be self-employed.
How has the legal profession changed during your career?
In the courthouse, negotiations and in the actual work, not much has changed in my view. You’re dealing with human clients and human judges; it’s still a human event.
Research and drafting has changed dramatically with computerized legal research like Westlaw and computerized forms. When we first opened the office in 1997, we spent a lot of money to build a library and to buy Yellow Page ads. Those things are now gone. In a matter of 30 years this office no longer has books, all of the statutes and case law are online, and obviously, no one has Yellow Pages.
How did you decide to focus on business law and zoning issues in your practice?
My father was a small business management professor at our local community college, and my parents were small business owners, so I was leaning that way. But once I got into law school, I quickly learned that people in business make rational decisions, not emotional ones. The disputes are resolved logically, and the laws of business and land use are designed to resolve disputes efficiently.
Zoning is particularly fun for me, because I like the people who are involved in zoning issues. Everybody is trying to do the best thing for their neighborhood and community.
What are the biggest opportunities and risks in your profession today?
There is a great shortage of lawyers in rural areas, and I would include Springfield, Jacksonville and Petersburg as being rural communities. That’s where the greatest opportunity is, and it’s a great way to make a living.
Regarding risks, I’m seeing clients attempting to use online legal documents and online legal services, and they don’t understand what they’ve done. These technological advances are lovely, but if clients don’t understand what they are doing, then lawyers are stuck trying to unwind it.
Will AI ever be able to replace the human mind where legal cases are concerned?
I don’t think AI will fundamentally change what lawyers do, at least at the higher level. Sure, it can write a brief, although not well, and it can organize thoughts, write a letter or help with research. But judgment, sorting out what a client needs, what is good for a client, what a judge may or may not do – I don’t see AI ever being able to do that.
What gives you the greatest satisfaction in your work?
I’m naturally nosy, so getting to know the client, their business, what they really need and want and then solving the problem that stands in the way of getting what they need. Then going home at the end of the day and feeling like I actually solved a problem for someone – that gives me the greatest satisfaction.
Of what value is continuing education?
The law evolves as society evolves. Statutes are changing and courts constantly reinterpret common law, so continuing legal education is essential. Lawyers are collaborative. If something worked for somebody in a deal or a case, and they’re willing to teach somebody else how it worked, that is probably the most valuable part of continuing legal education for me.
What advice would you give to young people who are entering today’s career field?
I would say get a pragmatic undergraduate degree such as business, STEM or finance, as well as some history and philosophy. Then pick your classes in law school that have a practical application. It’s fun to take theoretical classes, but also take the practical applications.
Consider working in a small or medium-sized community where you can make a life for yourself and can actually affect people’s lives and feel like you’ve made a difference. And, every once in a while, you get to go home.
What may people be surprised to learn about you?
I have a million hobbies, and I’m not very good at any of them. I bike, hike, hunt pheasant and quail, train my bird dogs, do woodworking and play pickleball, and I still have my pilot’s license.
My secretary has always found it bizarre that I have my ski boat parked in the records-storage garage behind my office, and in the summertime, I sometimes sneak out at lunch, water ski a slalom course at Lake Springfield, then come back to work.
This article appears in May SBJ 2026.