Gerad was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 13, 1963. His preparatory education was at Temple University where he earned an A.B.A. in criminal justice in 1985, with honors. Gerad attended the University of Pittsburgh Law School earning his Doctrine of Jurisprudence degree in 1988 and he was admitted to the Pennsylvania State Bar in 1988. Gerad subsequently moved to the State of Texas and became licensed by the State Bar of Texas in 1994. He is a member of both the Family Law Section and Criminal Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. Gerad is also a member of the Dallas and Denton County Bar Associations.

Gerad has practiced law for 19 years, with his first three years serving as an Assistant District Attorney at Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He then spent the next three years in Pennsylvania in private practice, representing clients in the areas of criminal defense and family law.

For the last 13 years Gerad has been practicing law in Texas. Gerad was Assistant District Attorney for five years in Grayson County, Texas, before going into private practice in Sherman Texas in 1999. Gerad primarily focused on the areas of criminal and family law at that time.

Gerad has extensive courtroom experience as a litigator of criminal and family law cases. During his career as a prosecutor for eight years and 11 years in private practice, he has tried over 50 jury trials. Those trials have included capital murder, murder, aggravated robbery, burglary, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault, driving while intoxicated, and assault-family violence cases.