For those of you who don't know him or didn't see him racing at the various sprint triathlons this summer, Richard Duquette is a Carlsbad based attorney and sponsor of CycloVets in San Diego. He and his wife Kim work together at the business, which focuses on representing injured athletes. The two share a love for bicycling, and ride often as well as compete in running races and sprint triathlons. If you attend a local triathlon this spring or summer there is a good chance you will see the two. You may even get a chance to ask Richard about his two rides from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas or what it's like to race the Hawaiian Ironman triathlon, which he also completed twice.
The Law Firm of Richard Duquette has been sponsoring local bicycle clubs for years and has been representing athletes since 1983. When you step into the office, you will find not only the usual lawyer materials and books, but also pictures of past triathlon and duathlon greats on the wall and thank you notes from the athletes. There's also a good chance you may see a bicycle that was involved in a recent accident/injury hanging from the ceiling in the conference room.
Richard enjoys working with triathletes and bicyclists because of his love for the sport and passion for helping the underdog. When a person gets injured while riding a bike, it is very easy for them to be taken advantage of by an insurance company. One of Richard's strengths as a trial lawyer of 24 years is in fighting for the injured athlete. He takes each client's case very personally and is very thorough in his representation.
To draw an analogy, if you see Richard in court, or negotiating with an insurance company on behalf of an injured athlete, it's like watching Mark Allen drop Dave Scott at mile 23 on the run and go on to win. Richard keeps the pressure on the other side until they break down or give up. (I have witnessed his persistence while working for him as a law clerk as I await my bar exam results).
Another of Richard's strengths in representing athletes is his ability to appreciate the change in lifestyle that can accompany a serious injury. As a fellow athlete and trial lawyer, he is able to accurately and effectively convey to a jury or insurance adjuster, the nature of your injuries and how the injury affects your livelihood. Because of his vast experience with biking, he is familiar with the mechanical parts of a bicycle, the terminology, and riding techniques. This knowledge and experience allows Richard to speak to a jury or insurance adjuster in clear, common sense language, and make them understand the accident and injury from the rider's point of view.
In sum, this law firm and sponsor of Cyclovets is a great help to injured athletes. In fact, Richard gives back to the bicycling community by donating a portion of his fee to the challenged athletes' foundation and Cyclovets.
Mr. Duquette is a local Carlsbad, California Personal Injury Trial Attorney who since 1983 has mixed law with his love of Bicycling and Surfing from Baja to Bali. He can be reached via e-mail at rduquete@911law.com and has a Web page at www.911law.com. His phone number is (760) 730-0500.
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