AWESOME ATTORNEYS
INDEPENDENT EDITORIAL · FIRM PROFILES · PHOENIX, ARIZONA
AVISO DE PUBLICIDAD DE ABOGADOS. This profile was researched and written independently by Awesome Attorneys’ editorial team. It was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed prior to publication by the firm profiled. All case results, recoveries, and recognitions described below are attributed to their sources. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter. This article is for general information only and is not legal advice; reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship.
The Firm an Insurance-Defense Veteran Chose to Join
Friedl Richardson has represented injured Arizonans since 1997. One of its litigation attorneys spent the first two decades of her career on the other side of the table — representing insurers and Fortune 500 companies — before crossing over.
BY THE AWESOME ATTORNEYS EDITORIAL TEAM · PHOENIX, ARIZONA · JULY 2026
FRIEDL RICHARDSON — AT A GLANCE
| FUNDADA POR | William J. Friedl (Arizona bar member since 1971) and Thomas M. Richardson, in 1997 |
| ENFOQUE | Plaintiff-side personal injury and wrongful death — car, truck, and motorcycle accidents, medical malpractice, premises liability, dog bites, boating accidents, birth injuries, bicycle accidents |
| OFICINA | Phoenix, with practice pages serving Flagstaff and Lake Havasu City |
| RESULTADOS EMBLEMÁTICOS | $6M jury verdict and $1.4M and $1M wrongful-death settlements (per the firm — see Track Record) |
| VENTAJA DISTINTIVA | Litigation attorney Suzie Zachar Hardy spent more than 20 years representing insurers and Fortune 500 companies before joining the firm’s plaintiff-side practice (per the firm) |
| MODELO DE HONORARIOS | Contingencia (según el bufete) |
Sources: friedlrichardson.com (firm website, including its Verdicts & Settlements pages), YouTube, attorneyatlaw.com. Compiled July 2026.
ORIGEN
Nearly Thirty Years, Two Names on the Door
Friedl Richardson was founded in 1997 by William J. Friedl, a member of the Arizona Bar since 1971 and, per the firm, a fixture on the state bar’s advocates’ panel, and Thomas M. Richardson, who has served on the Maricopa County Judicial Selection Committee after appointment by Governor Brewer and confirmation by the Arizona Senate. Between them, the firm states, the two founders have handled hundreds of trial cases.
The firm’s current litigation roster includes Suzie Zachar Hardy, who has practiced in Arizona since 1996 and, according to her firm biography, spent the first 20-plus years of her career representing insureds, insurance companies, and Fortune 500 businesses before moving to plaintiff-side work — giving her, in the firm’s words, “a unique and advantageous perspective” on how the opposing side “evaluates, thinks and operates.” Her biography states she has handled more than 200 arbitrations and trials and over 500 depositions, and has served as a mediator for other attorneys’ cases. Also on the litigation team is Raechel R. Barrios, a 2014 and 2015 Super Lawyers Rising Star who serves as a board and sustaining member of the Arizona Association for Justice (the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association), and Krista T. McCarthy, who joined the firm in 2014.
PRÁCTICA
Where Friedl Richardson Concentrates
The firm’s site lists dedicated practice pages for car, truck, and motorcycle accidents; bicycle accidents; dog bites; boating accidents; premises liability; medical malpractice; and birth injuries arising from medical negligence. Its wrongful death practice is a particular emphasis, with a dedicated results page separate from its general personal injury results.
HISTORIAL
El tablero de resultados
Friedl Richardson publishes case results by practice category. In wrongful death specifically, the firm reports:
| RESULTADO | TIPO | ASUNTO (SEGÚN LO REPORTADO POR LA FIRMA) |
|---|---|---|
| $6,000,000 | Veredicto de jurado | Los reclamos por muerte por negligencia |
| $1,400,000 | Acuerdo | Child wrongful death case |
| $1,000,000 | Acuerdo | Teenager wrongful death |
Source: friedlrichardson.com/wrongful-death-settlements, retrieved July 2026. Past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes; every case is unique.
Beyond wrongful death, the firm’s site states it has “helped countless Arizona residents obtain compensation for personal injury and wrongful death” across cases ranging from car and truck accidents to medical malpractice and premises liability, and describes its attorneys as “trial ready” for cases requiring litigation rather than settlement alone.
LA VOZ DEL CLIENTE
Lo que reportan los clientes
Published client accounts on the firm’s site and on attorneyatlaw.com consistently name individual attorneys rather than speaking of “the firm” generically. One client describes being rear-ended by an Arizona state vehicle and initially trying to handle the claim alone before the state’s adjuster refused to compensate for pain and suffering; the client writes that attorney Raechel Barrios then “got me a fair settlement.” Another client credits attorney Krista McCarthy and her assistant, writing that “the help received was very caring and fantastic prompt results” and that “I feel very lucky.” A third account, describing a stalled claim against an uncooperative adjuster, credits attorney Tommy Richardson with obtaining “a settlement that significantly exceeded the at-fault party’s insurance policy,” writing “I believe Tommy knows the law and the policies better than anyone.”
COMUNIDAD
Más allá de la sala del tribunal
The firm states it actively supports local youth sports (little league teams), law enforcement, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and the Arizona Bike Club, framing this alongside its stated mission of educating residents about accident prevention and safety — a combination of victim advocacy and prevention-focused community work.
RECONOCIMIENTOS
Posición entre colegas
The firm states it has earned Super Lawyers recognition, and Raechel Barrios was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2014 and 2015 — both peer-influenced, research-driven selections. The firm’s site also states a 5.0 AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the directory’s highest peer-review rating standard, awarded when a substantial number of an attorney’s peers rank their legal knowledge, communication, and ethics at the highest level. Awesome Attorneys did not independently re-verify the current AV Preeminent status at the individual-attorney level and recommends confirming directly with Martindale-Hubbell before republication.
LA LEY
El contexto legal de Arizona, en lenguaje sencillo
Readers considering a serious injury or wrongful death claim in Arizona should understand a few ground rules. What follows is general information, not legal advice.
El reloj de dos años. Arizona’s statute of limitations for personal injury and wrongful death claims is generally two years (A.R.S. § 12-542).
Demandar al gobierno es más rápido y más estricto. Claims against Arizona public entities — relevant here, given one published client’s claim involved a state-owned vehicle — require a formal notice of claim within 180 days (A.R.S. § 12-821.01) and suit within one year (A.R.S. § 12-821).
La culpa se comparte, no es todo o nada. Arizona follows pure comparative negligence (A.R.S. § 12-2505).
Los menores tienen más tiempo. The limitations clock is generally paused for minors until the disability ends (A.R.S. § 12-502) — relevant to the firm’s child and teenager wrongful-death matters.
EVALUACIÓN
La perspectiva de Awesome Attorneys
Friedl Richardson’s nearly three-decade track record and its litigation bench — particularly an attorney who spent two decades on the insurance-defense side before switching — give the firm a credible claim to trial readiness that goes beyond marketing language. Its published wrongful-death results, while limited to three entries, are substantial, and its client accounts consistently credit specific named attorneys rather than a generic “team,” a pattern that suggests real attorney-client contact rather than a call-center model.
The honest trade-off: the firm’s publicly available results page is thinner than some larger competitors’ — three wrongful-death entries and general statements elsewhere, rather than a comprehensive itemized results table. Readers should ask the firm directly for a fuller results history relevant to their specific type of claim. For families facing a wrongful death or catastrophic injury claim in the Phoenix area, Friedl Richardson’s combination of tenure, litigation depth, and a documented defense-side-to-plaintiff-side attorney is worth an initial consultation.
METODOLOGÍA E INDEPENDENCIA
This profile was researched and written independently by Awesome Attorneys’ editorial team in July 2026. Primary source: the firm’s own published website (friedlrichardson.com), including its attorney biography and wrongful-death results pages. Secondary sources: the firm’s YouTube channel and attorneyatlaw.com. Friedl Richardson did not commission, pay for, or pre-approve this article. All case results are attributed to the firm’s own reporting; past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes. This article is general information, not legal advice.
© 2026 Awesome Attorneys. Contenido editorial independiente. Las ubicaciones patrocinadas en Awesome Attorneys siempre están claramente etiquetadas; esta no es una de ellas.
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