Attorney Ryan Bliss (Partner)

For Ryan Bliss, workers’ compensation law has never been just about claims, benefits, and legal arguments. It’s about people who may suddenly find themselves in unfamiliar territory. They are often seriously hurt, unsure of what lies ahead, and facing an insurance company and legal system they may know little about – during one of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Ryan believes they shouldn’t have to face all of that alone.

Today, as a Partner and Lead Attorney of the Workers’ Compensation Department at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, Ryan leads a team focused on helping injured workers understand what’s happening, what may come next, and what can be done to help them move forward.

Discovering What the Law Could Do

Growing up, Ryan’s first passion wasn’t law. It was music.

He played guitar, wrote songs, performed with a band, and once imagined building a career around music. But Ryan’s path eventually led him somewhere he hadn’t expected: the law.

At North Carolina State University, where he studied English with a concentration in writing, an internship with the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) introduced him to plaintiffs’ attorneys. It also showed him something he had not fully considered before: lawyers can use their skills to make a meaningful difference in someone’s life.

It gave Ryan a new perspective on what practicing law could mean.

After graduating magna cum laude from NC State, Ryan attended the University of North Carolina School of Law. He began his career in general civil practice, where he encountered workers’ compensation cases and discovered that he loved the practice area. He later went to work representing insurance interests.

It didn’t take long for Ryan to realize he was on the wrong side of the equation.

Finding the Side He Wanted to Be on

Representing insurance companies’ interests gave Ryan experience with workers’ compensation from a different perspective. It also helped him clarify what he wanted from his own career.

Ryan wanted to use his law degree in what he calls a “net positive way.” He remembered the plaintiffs’ attorneys he had admired at NCAJ and began looking for a different path – one that would allow him to fight for injured workers, not against them. In 2012, that search brought him to the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin.

Ryan had found his people: attorneys willing to stand up for individuals facing powerful institutions.

When a Paycheck Becomes a Lifeline

Ryan understands that a workers’ compensation case isn’t simply about paperwork, medical records, or an insurance claim.

For the person who has been hurt, it can be about whether the mortgage gets paid. Whether medical treatment continues. Whether a family can maintain some stability while the injured person cannot work. And, sometimes, what the rest of that person’s life is going to look like.

One case that has stayed with Ryan involved a young construction worker who suffered an on-the-job injury that left him paraplegic. Ryan helped him seek the resources he needed to establish a comfortable living situation with medical care and stable income and, when the client was eventually ready to resolve his claim, helped him negotiate a settlement.¹

For Ryan, cases like that put the purpose of his work into perspective.

That privilege also comes with a responsibility: clients should not be expected to understand an unfamiliar legal system at the very moment they may be struggling physically, financially, and emotionally.

Ryan sees his role – and the role of the workers’ compensation team he leads – as helping shoulder some of that burden.

Always Looking for Better Ways to Help

Ryan’s career at the firm has grown considerably since he joined in 2012. Today, in addition to leading the Workers’ Compensation Department, he is the firm’s Director of Legal Technology. Ryan has helped lead the firm’s adoption of artificial intelligence and other technologies designed to improve workflows and client service while also working to address confidentiality, cybersecurity, and ethical considerations.

For Ryan, however, technology isn’t the point. People are.

He believes operational excellence can help a law firm serve people more effectively. The better the systems, tools, training, and teams behind an attorney are, the more effectively that attorney can focus on the person who needs help.

That combination of creativity and problem-solving extends well beyond the office.

Making Room for What Matters

Outside the office, Ryan is a husband and father of three who still makes room for one of his first passions: music. Years after he and his childhood best friend first dreamed of making music together, they found another way to do it. They created Mooseclumps, an educational children’s YouTube channel featuring original songs and videos.

It is a different world from workers’ compensation law, but there is a common thread.

Ryan likes solving problems. He likes creating things. And he likes knowing that something he helped build made someone’s day – or someone’s life – a little better.

For Ryan, that’s also part of what makes his work as an attorney meaningful. People often come to his team at a moment they never expected to face, unsure of what comes next.

Ryan wants them to know they don’t have to figure that out by themselves.

Read and Hear More

• 31 James Scott Farrin Attorneys Named to 2027 "Best Lawyers in America" Lists⁴
• "The impact of AI's ongoing evolution on NC's legal landscape," The Carolina Journal
• 33 James Scott Farrin Attorneys Recognized by "Best Lawyers in America" in 2026 Edition⁴
• 22 James Scott Farrin Attorneys Recognized by "Best Lawyers in America" on 2025 'Best Lawyers' and 'Ones to Watch' Lists⁴
• Commentary: Leverage technology to build workers’ compensation practice
• 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!