Richard Parsons

Prior to obtaining his law degree from the University of British Columbia, Rich obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Seattle and rowed on the UW Varsity Rowing team.  In 1995, his UW Crew won an NCAA national championship.

Rich started out after law school defending injury claims for insurance companies at a large law firm in Vancouver.  He soon realized he wanted to represent people, not insurance companies.  Rich has worked for injured people and he has not worked for an insurance company since early in his career.

Rich has successfully achieved settlements, judgments and jury verdicts for clients with all types of physical and psychological injuries.  He acts regularly for clients with brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, complex chronic pain conditions, and psychological injuries.  He has appeared before the British Columbia Supreme Court, British Columbia Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada.  Rich has obtained some of the largest personal injury awards for his clients in British Columbia jurisprudence.

Rich was the president of the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia in 2014 and he presently serves as a member of the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice (formerly the American Trial Lawyers Association).  In 2015, Rich was invited to sit on the Editorial Advisory Board of the British Columbia Motor Vehicle Accident Practice Manual, which is often referred to as the bible for personal injury lawyers in British Columbia.  He continues to hold this position.  Rich has been selected annually by a survey of lawyers in British Columbia to be included in the publication “The Best Lawyers in Canada” for his work in the field of personal injury law.

Rich is licensed to practise law in British Columbia, Washington State, and California.  In addition to his cases in British Columbia, Rich’s ability to practise law in both Canada and the United States allows him to represent residents of British Columbia in the US when they are involved in accidents in the US.

After two decades of representing injured people, Rich crashed while skiing, hit a tree, and suffered a fracture of his T-12 vertebrae resulting in paraplegia.  Having been through the resulting hospitalization and rehabilitation process, Rich has a deep understanding of the issues his clients face as they fight to get their lives back.  Rich was fortunate to make a very good recovery and get back to his life and work shortly after being discharged from hospital.

Rich and his wife, Yvonne, and their daughters, Sydney and Ella, live on the North Shore.