Richard A Patterson, Attorney

As the Founding Partner of Owen, Patterson & Owen, Mr. Patterson has passionately and effectively represented accident victims for more than 31 years.  He has represented clients in nearly every state, as well as many foreign countries who have suffered as a result of the negligence, fraud or misconduct of others.  His specialty is serious motor vehicle accidents including automobile, truck, motorcycle, motor-home and bicycle accidents. His efforts have resulted in the obtaining of many multi-million dollar recoveries for injured clients.

Rick currently represents victims of one of the most tragic railroad accidents in California history: The Metro-Link crash in Chatsworth, California.  In that accident, 25 people lost their lives because of the inattentiveness of the railway engineer and the lack of proper mechanisms to prevent a head-on collision between two trains.

Thousands of clients injured in car and truck accidents, pedestrians, motorcycle and bicycle accidents have benefitted from Rick's representation.  He is committed to pursuing fair and complete recoveries for his clients. Rick is a member of the American Bar Association and serves on the ABA Attorney Advisory Panel.  He is licensed to practice in California and before the U.S. Supreme Court.

During the past 10 years, Rick has been instrumental in the fight against major pharmaceutical companies, whose decisions to pursue profit instead of safe cures resulted in thousands of strokes, heart attacks and deaths. Providing representation for victims of widely used drugs, including the popular drug Vioxx, Rick and the firm initiated litigation to obtain justice against these corporate giants.  His tireless efforts proved successful.  Claims due to one widely used drug were resolved for $68 million, and a settlement has been reached on the Vioxx claims for $4.85 billion.

In 2007, Rick was honored by The Santa Clarita Valley Bar Association with the prestigious  Dan Hon Memorial Award for outstanding legal services in connection with his diligence in ousting a self-proclaimed pedophile from the State of California.  Jack McClellan posted pictures of young girls in Santa Clarita on his internet website with details on where to find them.  Rick initiated a lawsuit with his own daughter as the plaintiff in order to obtain an injunction against Mr. McClellan.  After receiving recognition from his peers in the legal community, Rick worked closely with Assemblyman Cameron Smyth on Assembly Bill 534, recently signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger, which permanently converted the protections won in the courtroom into state law.

Rick continues to work hard to build Santa Clarita into a place where its residents, young and old, can enjoy the protections and benefits of the law.  Over 20 years ago, he founded Valencia National Bank, meeting the needs of small business owners of this burgeoning community.  Since 1979, he has served as a panel attorney for the California Association of Realtors.  Since 1998, he has served as president of the Santa Clarita Valley Facilities Foundation, a non-profit public benefit corporation, which has been instrumental in developing school sites for public schools and generating $25 million dollars in assets for the benefit of local schools.  Mr. Patterson also serves as the 2009 president of his favorite charity, the Santa Clarita Valley Committee on Aging, which serves the needs of senior citizens.  He is genuinely interested in the community in which he lives.  Rick Patterson has been recognized as the Best Personal Injury Attorney of Santa Clarita by The Signal newspaper.  Rick's extensive background in real estate and banking has provided him with the tools necessary to cut through the corporate defenses when pursuing major corporations who refuse to fairly compensate their victims.

Rick considers it a true privilege to provide the benefits of the legal system to those who have been injured or damaged as a result of the negligence of others.  Many seek his services  because they know he is a man who is capable of righting the wrongs that they have suffered.

Rick married his college sweetheart, Ann, and they enjoy their home in Valencia where they have raised their 8 children and now enjoy their 7 grandchildren.  Ann, a special needs educator, shares Rick's passion for philanthropic activities.