Rick Hernandez joined Perez Morris in 2017. He is a proactive, strategic and dedicated workers’ compensation defense attorney with more than 30 years’ experience. Rick has represented self-insured and state-funded private employers, state agencies, and public and private universities in proceedings before the Industrial Commission of Ohio and at all levels of court within the state of Ohio.

He has represented national trucking companies, major hospital organizations, nursing home consortiums, national utilities and industry-leading retailers and restaurants. He routinely advises on workers’ compensation program administration, company policy drafting, including return-to-work and workplace safety policy, and effective risk management strategy. His goal is to lower workers’ compensation costs for his clients.

Rick has conducted as many as 18 jury trials in workers’ compensation-related litigation, and for the majority he served as lead trial counsel. He also represented employers in mandamus actions in the Tenth District Court of Appeals and in the Supreme Court of Ohio. He successfully argued before the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Adjudicating Committee and Self-Insured Review Board.

Rick is a certified workers’ compensation specialist through the Ohio State Bar Association and has been since its inception.

Prior to joining Perez Morris, he worked in the Office of the Ohio Attorney General, Executive Agencies Section, representing state agencies and universities across Ohio. Prior to that, Rick was a partner in the workers’ compensation practice areas of two large law firms in Central Ohio for more than 15 years, cumulatively.

Rick resides in New Albany, Ohio, with his wife, Gigi, and their three children.