“I was so impressed with the culture of the firm and its service focus on helping clients. I had gained a practical perspective from my prior in-house corporate experience and then learned a lot about private law practice from Bill and Gary. It has been an excellent fit.”
– Gus Bourgeois, Shareholder, Business Group
Business attorney Gus Bourgeois originally had a vision of being a history professor. His fascination with Greek and Roman civilizations led him to pursue a bachelor’s in history at LSU. Then he matched it with a second degree in psychology at the same time he decided to follow his second interest—becoming a lawyer. He earned his J.D. from LSU Law Center and never looked back—except for delving into historical literature once in a while.
He practiced law in Louisiana for several years as a corporate lawyer and an Assistant Attorney General representing the state’s casino industry regulators, and later representing proposed casino projects. Then, as a self-described “trailing spouse,” he and his wife Danielle moved to Texas when she unexpectedly received an excellent career opportunity.
“We knew coming to Houston was the right move and I started looking for work right away. I wasn’t yet admitted to practice law in Texas, but the same day we got here I was offered a position as in-house corporate counsel for an international, publicly traded logistics company,” said Gus. “It was a good sign.”
After five years in that role, Gus was looking for his next opportunity, but he wasn’t interested in returning to private practice until a recruiter introduced him to BoyarMiller in 2006. He joined the firm as an associate after meeting Bill Boyar and Gary Miller. He was elected shareholder in 2011.
Gus’ work as an in-house corporate lawyer for an international company sparked an interest in working with overseas businesses. He is a founding member of the Texas Global Business Network, a networking group of professionals in various disciplines that assist international businesses in establishing and operating U.S. offices.
When he’s not helping clients with a wide variety of corporate transactions, Gus enjoys performing with his band of more than 10 years called “Already Gone.” It has become the south’s premier Eagles tribute band performing hits including “Desperado,” “Hotel California,” and “Heartache Tonight,” as well as original songs written by the group. The band performs regularly across Texas.
The Bourgeois’ have two grown children, and they each share one of their father’s passions. Their daughter Jennifer is a paralegal and son Gavin is an audio engineer for concert venues in town and also plays the guitar. Danielle keeps track of them all as an accomplished photographer.
But that’s not all. The Bourgeois family is passionate about pet rescue. “We currently have four rescue dogs,” said Gus. “We sometimes think of ourselves as ‘failed foster parents’ because we’re great at rescuing dogs, but we tend to keep them.”
