Rich has spent his whole life as a Willamette Valley resident, and obtained his Doctorate of Jurisprudence (J.D.) from the University of Oregon Law School in 1986. While continuing his studies at the University of Oregon, he served as the Chief Justice for the University's Constitution Court, before graduating with a high class ranking. His legal career began in 1986 when he was hired to work for an insurance defense firm, but Rich quickly learned that it was those who were injured that truly needed strong legal representation against insurance companies. In 1988, Richard began representing injured clients, and his first jury trial in 1992 resulted in a record breaking verdict of $500, in compensation for a low impact, soft tissue case. For more than 20 years since that point, Rich has had helped hundreds of clients obtain fair compensation for their injuries. Rich also has an active interest in the community. He has been serving on the Keizer City Council since 2000, and took the initiative to in creating Keizer Rapids Park, a 120 acre riverfront park. In recognition of his outstanding leadership and support of regional, intergovernmental cooperation, Rich was awarded the Gwen VondenBosch Regional Leadership Award by the Mid Willamette Valley Council of Governments. In 2008, Rich was presented the Department of Interior's Cooperative Conservation Award by secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne in Washington D.C. While Rich has been awarded with many achievements, he still remains committed to his clients and to his community.