Joey Gonzalez was born in McAllen and raised in Starr County, Texas. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and received an Honorable Discharge from the United States Army in 1991. Joey successfully completed the United States Army Northern Warfare training school in Fort Greely, Alaska. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Texas-Pan American in 1993. He is a 1998 graduate of St. Mary's University School of Law. Joey served as an associate editor for the St. Mary's University Law Journal and was Vice-Chairman of the St. Mary's University Board of Advocates. Joey also served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Justice Nathan L. Hecht at the Texas Supreme Court. Upon graduation, he served as a briefing attorney for the Honorable Filemon B. Vela, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas in the Brownsville and McAllen divisions. In 1999, he accepted a position as an associate with the San Antonio law firm of Allen, Stein, Durbin & Hunnicutt, P.C., where he primarily practiced civil litigation.

In 2001, Joey accepted a position as a partner with the predecessor firm of Watts Law Firm, L.L.P., in its Edinburg office. He currently practices in the area of personal injury law with an emphasis on product liability. Joey is licensed to practice law in the state courts of Texas and in the United States District Courts for the Southern and Western Districts of Texas. He is a member of the Attorneys Information Exchange Group (AIEG) and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA). He is a member of the State Bar of Texas District 12-B Grievance Committee and is on the Board of Directors for the Hidalgo County Bar Association, Hidalgo County Bar Foundation, Hidalgo County Young Lawyers Association and the Board of Trustees for the University of Texas-Pan American Alumni Association. Joey is fluent in written and spoken Spanish.