Rick Friedman, Trial Lawyer
Rick Friedman - Biography
Rick started his career in a small town in Alaska as a sole practitioner with no staff, where he developed a love for studying the books and transcripts of great trial lawyers. He built his career representing the poor, injured, and mistreated, sharing with jurors the truth about his clients’ injuries and what caused them. His trial method is to present the truth to the jury, and effectively counter defense tactics to distort the truth. He has developed methods for clearly showing jurors how defendants have broken the rules that protect all of us. Lawyers all over the country now ask him for help in trying their cases.
Among Rick’s landmark cases are Bellott v. State Farm, a $152,000,000 jury verdict on behalf of a client whose insurance agency agreement was terminated in retaliation for his refusal to engage in dishonest marketing practices; Washington v. Teva, a $104,000,000 jury verdict for the infection of his client with Hepatitis C due to the defendant’s multi-dose vials of Propofol; Myrick v. Mastagni, a jury verdict believed to be the first case in California holding a building owner liable for injuries sustained in an earthquake; Robinson v. State Farm, which exposed State Farm’s use of false doctor’s reports to deny claims, Erickson v. Monsanto, a $185 million verdict on behalf of three teachers poisoned by PCBs, and Cox v. 3M, a $62 million verdict on behalf of two coal miners given defective respirators who contracted black lung. Over the last 25 years he has obtained six verdicts that ranked in the top ten verdicts of the year in the United States. He is a member and past president of the Inner Circle of Advocates as well as a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Rick is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the author or coauthor of five bestselling legal books for Trial Guides: Rules of the Road: A Plaintiff Lawyer’s Guide to Proving Liability, Polarizing the Case: Exposing & Defeating the Malingering Myth, Becoming a Trial Lawyer, The Elements of Trial, and The Way of the Trial Lawyer: Beyond Technique. These books have revolutionized how thousands of lawyers try their cases. He is licensed to practice in Alaska, Washington, Kentucky and California, but also regularly appears pro hac vice in other state and federal courts around the country.
Honors & Memberships
Past President, 2013-14
Inner Circle of Advocates
Top 100 Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in the United States
Member
American College of Trial Lawyers
Trial Lawyer of the Year 2013
Washington State Association for Justice
Member
International Academy of Trial Lawyers
AV Peer Review Rated
Martindale-Hubbell
Books
Rules of the Road
Polarizing the Case
Becoming a Trial Lawyer
The Elements of Trial The Way of the Trial Lawyer: Beyond Technique