'One call, that's all!' Who is Milwaukee's local celebrity attorney David Gruber?

You might know him from his many TV commercials. Or from his billboards throughout the city. Or from the thousands of free T-shirts his team hands out at seemingly countless Milwaukee events.

But no matter where you've heard of him, if you've lived in Milwaukee for any considerable amount of time, you're probably familiar with personal injury lawyer and Gruber Law Offices founder David Gruber.

He's one of Milwaukee's top lawyers and a high-profile Wisconsin sports fan, and Gruber's marketing prowess and community involvement have also turned him into a local Milwaukee celebrity.

Everyone in Milwaukee knows his famous "One call, that's all!," catchphrase, but did you know that Gruber isn't originally from Milwaukee? He was also a formidable college basketball player and isn't the only U.S. lawyer to trademark "One call, that's all!"

Here's everything you need to know about Milwaukee's arguably most famous lawyer.

Who is attorney David Gruber?

David Gruber is a personal injury attorney and the founder of Gruber Law Offices in Downtown Milwaukee. Gruber has been a practicing lawyer for 41 years and founded Gruber Law Offices over 35 years ago.

The son of a police captain and a bookkeeper, Gruber was born and raised in Passaic, N.J., and says his mother, Bernice Gruber, encouraged him to pursue law from a young age.

How old is David Gruber?

Gruber is currently 66 years old. His birthday is Oct. 7, 1957.

Where did David Gruber go to college and law school?

After graduating from Passaic High School, Gruber attended the University of Delaware from 1975 to 1980, where he graduated with degrees in political science and criminal justice, according to a 2011 interview he did with OnMilwaukee.

Gruber moved to Milwaukee in 1980 to attend Marquette Law School. He graduated from Marquette in 1983.

Did David Gruber play sports?

Not only is Gruber a Wisconsin sports fan with an extensive sports memorabilia collection; he was once a high-level athlete. During his five years at Delaware, Gruber played three seasons on the university's Division I Fightin’ Blue Hens basketball team.

At 6-foot-3, Gruber averaged 6.8 points in 17.2 minutes per game over his three seasons with the Blue Hens, Journal Sentinel sports reporter Ben Steele wrote earlier this month. Gruber was co-captain of the team during the 1979-'80 season.

After graduation, Gruber told Steele he continued to play competitive basketball regularly until about a decade ago, when he was in his 50s. Gruber said he thinks he got even better at the game after college.

Who is David Gruber's wife?

Gruber has been married to his wife, Nancy Gruber, for over 36 years. The couple met and graduated together at Marquette Law School. Nancy is a Milwaukee-area native.

She is a managing attorney at Gruber Law Offices and is "responsible for many of the day-to-day developments and decisions" at the firm.

Does David Gruber have kids?

David and Nancy have two adult children, Steven and Lauren.

Steven Gruber is a personal injury litigation attorney at Gruber Law Offices. He graduated from Whitefish Bay High School and played Division I college basketball in the Ivy League at Brown University. Like his parents, Steven is a graduate of Marquette Law School.

Lauren branched out from the family business of law and works in pediatric oncology. She is also a Whitefish Bay High School graduate and went on to play tennis for the University of Wisconsin, where she was ultimately the captain. She then earned a Master's of Physician Assistant Studies at Marquette and works at Children's Hospital.

Where does 'One call, that's all!' come from?

Gruber first adopted his ubiquitous slogan in the late 1990s "with the assistance of a Dallas media company called Invision, which specialized in packaging and selling 'One call, that’s all' advertising campaigns to personal injury lawyers around the country," Milwaukee Magazine reported.

While Gruber owns the Wisconsin copyright to "One call, that's all," five other lawyers across the country have legal rights to the catchphrase as well, OnMilwaukee reported in 2019. Gruber said in 2019 that he's good friends and even travels with most of the lawyers who share his tagline nationwide.