When I wrapped up my cycling career in 1994, I knew I wanted to stay involved with cycling in some capacity, although I wasn’t quite sure how I would be doing that as I headed off to law school. When I opened my law practice in 1999, I found a way to combine my love of cycling and my interest in cycling advocacy with my new profession—I became the world’s (and the nation’s) first and only attorney exclusively focused on representing cyclists. Other attorneys were certainly willing to take cyclists as clients; some of these attorneys were even cyclists themselves. But they were also taking automobile collision cases, “slip and fall” cases, and any other type of personal injury case. In contrast, I was the first and only attorney in the nation who exclusively focused my law practice on representing cyclists, and only cyclists. In fact, I coined the term “Bicycle Law” to describe my law practice, before “bicycle law” became a household word among cyclists. I began writing the nation’s first “Bicycle Law” column in 2002, and in 2007, wrote “Bicycling & the Law,” the first legal book for cyclists since the publication of “The Road Rights of Wheelmen” in 1895. Today, I continue to write my “Road Rights” column for Bicycling magazine. But back when it all started in 1999, I had no idea that I would eventually be meeting and helping cyclists all over the U.S., and even around the world!
I must have been on to something. Today, bicycling has grown in leaps and bounds, and so has the practice of bicycle law. In fact, representing cyclists has grown so much that it’s time for me to build on that growth in a way that can really represent the needs of cyclists across the United States, and advance the cause of cyclists and cycling into the 21st Century. For that reason, I’ve decided to join forces with Peter Wilborn, an avid cyclist and one of the nation’s leading bicycle attorneys. Peter has a heartfelt interest in cycling advocacy, and is deeply resolved to obtaining justice for injured cyclists. Peter’s passion for justice and commitment to standing up for all cyclists matches my own, and makes him the ideal and integral partner in building a network with a dedicated team of highly experienced cycling attorneys across the country who can truly take cycling advocacy and the protection of injured cyclists to the next level.
With Bike Law, we have laid the groundwork for a national network of bicycle law attorneys dedicated to protecting cyclists from coast to coast. Peter is from Virginia, and represents cyclists up and down the eastern seaboard. I hail from the Midwest, and reside in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We now have new partners in the Rockies and in the Midwest, and are continuing to expand nationwide. As we continue to grow the Bike Law network, we will be better able to offer our combined decades of legal expertise, proven results, and passionate advocacy to cyclists across the country.
