Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56gets an idea why he has the largest Plaintiff’s personal injury practice in Nevada. To say Rick is a people-person is an understatement at best. A true measure of his success is that over 70 percent of his clientele are attorney referrals and prior clients and their family members. Yet, amazingly, despite being the largest personal injury firm in Nevada, his firm has not lost the family feel. This can be attributed to the fact that Rick’s family proudly works alongside him, shoulder to shoulder. His son, Joshua, is the managing partner; his daughter, Julianne, manages the disbursement department; and his other son, Jake, handles marketing and client relations. Several things distinguish Rick from the vast majority of attorneys in Nevada. The first is work ethic. Despite having more than 15 attorneys working for him, 90 percent of the time, it is Rick who closes the office each night, leaving to go home well after the staff and other attorneys at his firm. Rick can also be found working most weekends. This work ethic helped Rick graduate cum laude from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s in communications. In law school, Rick’s work ethic helped him become a Best Oral Advocate finalist and to be on the Moot Court Honors Board. Rick graduated from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, completing his J.D. in 1980. Rick’s hard work helped him pass the Nevada bar with an overall score of 95 percent. What many people don’t know is that Rick took and passed the California bar the same week as the Nevada bar. This accomplishment has been unmatched by anyone since then. The second distinguishing trait that sets Rick apart is his true love for his clients. Rick first started practicing criminal defense alongside former Las Vegas Mayor, Oscar Goodman. Rick looks fondly on that experience, and a lesson Oscar taught him about being embraced by his clients “through the jailhouse bars” even after crushing losses. Rick learned early on that regardless of the type or size of a case, to the client, it is their only case and is the very most important. Since 1982, when he founded Richard Harris Law Firm, he has treated every case he handles with this attitude, which explains why so many clients return. The third distinguishing trait is his unique ability to listen. This has helped Rick become a skilled trial lawyer and master negotiator. Rick has resolved several of the largest personal injury cases in Nevada. He has earned membership into the prestigious Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Outstanding Lawyers of America and the Verdict Club as a platinum member. Rick served on the Board of Governors of the Nevada Justice Association and has been a lobbyist for injury victims’ rights in the Nevada Legislature. Rick is committed to legal education and is the Patron of the Nevada Justice Association Series on Continuing Legal Education, which is named in his honor. In 2010, he received the Association’s Badger Award for his community service work. He lectures often as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Boyd School of Law, and is the author of several legal articles and publications. The fourth trait is Rick’s continuous desire to improve. Despite already having a very successful personal injury practice at that time, Rick was determined to get even better, and in 2009, received an LL.M. in Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law’s famed Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, which has been ranked the number one program in the country for four consecutive years. Rick is a frequently requested arbitratorandmediator.Highlyregardedbyhisclientsand peers, Rick’s representation and consultation is regularly requested in the areas of personal injury and wrongful death litigation, negotiation, arbitration, mediation, law practice management and marketing. Many of the greatest lawyers in Nevada history have worked both alongside and for Rick as partners and associate lawyers. There’s no question they’ve all learned from Rick. The list of those who have worked with Rick includes four recipients of the Trial Lawyer of the Year and one recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. There can be no question Rick has left his imprint on many lawyers throughout the State of Nevada and that his Legacy will continue for many years to come. 5 Reprinted with permission, Nevada Justice Association Advocate