Attorney Ryan Bliss (Partner)

Ryan Bliss joined the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin in 2012. He is a Partner of the firm and leads the workers’ compensation department. He considers it a privilege to advocate for the rights of injured workers and seeks to have a positive impact on his clients’ lives.

Ryan grew up in a small suburb of Syracuse, New York. He developed a lifelong love for music by playing instruments, acting, and singing in plays and musicals. His father worked for a large tool company, and his mother spent 20+ years in the public school system as a teacher and librarian.

Throughout his childhood, Ryan’s parents stressed the importance of hard work, perseverance, and most of all, of giving back to the community. Ryan, the independent middle child, took those life lessons to heart.

The “Last Sheriffs in Town”

Ryan attended North Carolina State University and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in writing. During college, he interned  at the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) where he met hundreds of plaintiffs’ attorneys and witnessed firsthand the positive impact a lawyer could have on an individual’s life.

Ryan was hooked – he viewed those plaintiffs’ attorneys as “the last sheriffs in town,” and he knew that a career in law would be the way he, too, could help those less fortunate and give back to his community.

The Path to James Scott Farrin

After earning his J.D. at the University of North Carolina School of Law, Ryan accepted a position at a general civil practice law firm where he had the opportunity to work on several workers’ comp cases. He loved the practice area and jumped at the opportunity to work for a workers’ comp defense firm when it presented itself.

Unfortunately, Ryan quickly realized that as an insurance defense attorney, he’d be working primarily for insurance companies who had their own motivations and ideas for dealing with workers’ compensation claimants.

Ryan wanted to use his law degree in a “net positive way,” and remembering his admiration of the NCAJ plaintiffs’ attorneys, he decided to seek out a new career path – one that allowed him to fight for injured workers, not against them, at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin.

There have been many cases that have confirmed that this was the right decision for Ryan. He recalls helping a young construction worker fight for compensation after becoming a paraplegic due to a work injury. With Ryan leading the fight, the injured worker was able to settle into a comfortable living situation with ample medical care and stable income, and later, when he was ready to resolve the claim, Ryan again helped him negotiate a satisfactory settlement.¹

As a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in workers’ compensation law, Ryan spends his days helping protect the rights of injured workers throughout the state. Ryan’s efforts earned him selection to the 2018 “Rising Star” list in the area of workers’ compensation law from Super Lawyers magazine.⁴

When Ryan is not at work, he enjoys spending time with his family in Cary. He occasionally participates in community theater and hosts a YouTube channel featuring educational songs for kids with his childhood best friend/business partner.

Read More

• James Scott Farrin Named to "U.S. News - Best Lawyers" 2023 'Best Law Firms' List, 8th Straight Year⁴
• James Scott Farrin Named to 2020 Edition of "Triangle Business Journal" 'Best Place to Work'
• Don’t Let an FCE Derail Your Right to Workers’ Comp Benefits
• How Does My North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Attorney Get Paid?
• Workers’ Compensation Settlements in NC: Proceed With Caution!