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Personal Injury Attorney

Ashley Richards

Any one of the obstacles Ashley Richards has faced in her life would be difficult on its own.

Becoming a teen mother. Making her way through law school with three kids.

Losing her father to cancer only 6 months after getting her first job as an attorney.

Developing an autoimmune disorder without knowing what was happening to her body.

Suffering from a motor vehicle crash that required surgeries just so that she could write again.

Any one of those experiences could be enough to make someone want to give up.

But not Ashley.

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On the contrary, Ashley has used these experiences to shape her life and her practice, calling on these memories to meet her clients where they are – understanding their needs and
emotions and connecting with them in a way that provides the counsel and the support they need.

Ashley’s decision to become a lawyer was not surprising, given her natural tendency towards helping others, but it didn’t happen immediately.

When she had her first child, people in her life treated her as though she would never amount to anything, and Ashley was determined to prove them wrong.

She spent years working as a paralegal before deciding to go to law school. She worked on her bachelor’s degree at night while continuing to work during the day. After obtaining her business degree, Ashley attended law school and graduated magna cum laude from Gonzaga University School of Law.

Her time as a paralegal had given her some experience working with injured people, but after taking her first position as an attorney, Ashley was able to work with brain injury survivors on a more personal level.

She saw time and again insurance companies trying to take advantage of survivors or other lawyers not giving them the care their case deserved, and so she fought tooth and nail for her clients.

The most moving case Ashley has ever been a part of was that of a victim of a catastrophic brain injury that left her client bed-ridden and unable to communicate.

Thanks to Ashley’s advocacy and the support of her client’s devoted wife, they were able to secure hyperbaric treatment for her client – a type of therapy that helps with swelling in the brain and cell repair. After some time with the treatment, Ashley’s client was finally able to tell his wife, “I love you.”

This type of win meant more to Ashley than any monetary sum ever could.

But Ashley experienced a hardship again only 6 months into her legal career, when her father lost his battle to cancer. It was actually while the jury was deliberating in one of Ashley’s cases that she was able to be with her father as he took his last breath.

Ashley’s clients are often dealing with a sense of loss -- whether that be the loss of a loved one, or even a loss of function themselves. And for Ashley, one of the biggest challenges is helping her clients come to terms with their new reality and new level of function.

Again, however, Ashley can relate to this struggle.

After experiencing some severe tremor symptoms in 2009, Ashley was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, a systemic auto-immune condition that attacked her liver and nervous system. And then in 2013, Ashley was the victim in a severe motor vehicle crash that required multiple surgeries.

For a while, Ashley was facing the very real possibility of having to go on disability and the stresses that came with that tough decision.

Even to this day, Ashley has had to adjust her lifestyle, free time, and weekends around her ability to work.

But at the end of the day, Ashley doesn’t mind this live-to-work mentality.

Her work is where she derives her joy. She loves being able to help her clients get to the best point they can not only in their recovery, but also to move their lives forward living as their best selves.

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We know — trusting an attorney can be difficult. Especially trusting an attorney with your most traumatic experience. That’s why we take the time to get to know each and every one of our clients — who you are at your core, and what you need.
Call 509-321-0750 now to tell us about your case
Accolades:
  • Previously served on the State Executive Board of the Brain Injury Alliance of Washington (previously known as the Brain Injury Association of Washington “BIAWA”)
  • Past President of the local Spokane Chapter for the BIAWA
Personal interests outside of the law:
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Music
  • Singing
  • Spending time with her children and 4 grandchildren

Call 509-321-0750 now to tell us about your case, or fill out the form:





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