A new personal injury law firm has opened in Indian Wells with a deliberate pitch to the Coachella Valley market: serious cases only, handled directly by top trial lawyers, with a posture built for the kinds of claims that can define a family’s financial future.
Jim Parkinson, Co-Founding Partner, Parkinson LLP
Parkinson Law, LLP says it is designed for catastrophic injury and wrongful death matters, including high-severity vehicle collisions, commercial truck crashes, premises liability incidents and other complex cases where liability, evidence preservation and long-term damages proof can determine whether an outcome is merely adequate or truly stabilizing.
“We built this firm for the moments when everything changes,” co-founding partner James Parkinson said. “People focus on medical care, and they should. But at the same time, the case is forming around them. Evidence disappears. The insurance company starts evaluating exposure. Decisions get made before a family even realizes the decisions matter.”
The firm’s office is centrally located in Indian Wells. Parkinson said the location reflects a practical goal: a local trial-ready practice positioned to serve Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta, Indio, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs and surrounding communities.
A defining theme of Parkinson Law’s model is its partner-led approach, an explicit contrast to high-volume personal injury operations that rely heavily on non-lawyer workflows.
“A lot of the personal injury business is built on processing,” co-founding partner Shaun Murphy said. “A client signs up, and then the file can get routed into a system with case managers and settlement coordinators doing most of the work. That might be fine for a small claim. But when someone’s life has been materially altered, clients deserve experienced trial lawyers who are personally involved and directly engaged with them.”
Shaun Murphy, Co-Founding Partner, Parkinson LLP.
Parkinson brings a long trial career to the firm, spanning five decades and a range of plaintiff-side work, including personal injury, class actions and complex civil cases. His bio describes a career that includes participation in the coordinated California tobacco litigation and litigation tied to World War II claims involving American prisoners of war forced into slave labor. He has also authored several books and has held civic and education roles, including literacy-focused work that he says reflects his commitment to public service.
“It’s all about the client,” Parkinson said. “Helping people who need the proper counsel and a strong advocate in an extremely challenging situation. You can change lives.”
Shaun Murphy is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with a practice focused on serious injury cases and complex civil litigation. Murphy has extensive experience and has built a highly successful practice representing clients in medically complex matters. Murphy has a record of verdicts and settlements in multiple states, including published appellate decisions.
Together, the partners are building an intentionally selective practice. It will not be a general intake operation, Parkinson said. The goal is to take fewer cases, invest heavily in evidence and damages proof, and maintain the credibility that comes with demonstrated trial readiness.
“Serious cases require time, resources, and preparation,” Murphy said. “The question clients should ask is simple: who is actually handling my case, and how is it going to be built. If your injuries are permanent, you should expect intensive personal attention from experienced trial lawyers.”
The firm’s practice areas include catastrophic injury, wrongful death, car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian and bicycle injuries, rideshare crashes and premises liability claims, including slip-and-fall and negligent security cases. The firm also lists a narrow category of sexually transmitted disease claims, which it describes as sensitive matters requiring discretion, medical documentation and careful handling of privacy.
While the firm is new to the market as a distinct brand, it cites representative outcomes as evidence of the litigation posture it intends to bring to Greater Palm Springs. On its website, Parkinson Law lists results including a $60 million investment fraud settlement, a $9 million catastrophic injury settlement for paraplegia, a $4.5 million defamation verdict, and multiple multi-million-dollar jury verdicts. The firm also cites a $1 million premises liability settlement, a $1 million car accident jury verdict, a $1.375 million settlement, a $750,000 premises settlement, a $600,000 premises liability verdict and a $500,000 wrongful death settlement. The firm notes that results vary and that past outcomes do not guarantee future results.
Parkinson said those numbers are not meant to be marketing theater. He said they are meant to show how serious cases are built, and why trial credibility matters even when most cases are resolved before a jury is seated.
“Insurance companies do not just evaluate the injury,” Parkinson said. “They evaluate the law firm. They assess whether the case will be prepared thoroughly. They evaluate whether the lawyers are willing to take it to trial. That evaluation affects the reserve, the negotiation posture and ultimately what a client is offered.”
A core part of the firm’s messaging is that the first week after an incident can shape the outcome, especially in high-severity matters where future medical care, income loss and long-term impairment may define the damages.
“Evidence is not sitting there waiting for you,” added Parkinson. “Surveillance footage gets overwritten. Vehicles get repaired. Conditions get fixed. Witnesses vanish. Early action does not mean rushing into a lawsuit. It means protecting what cannot be recreated later.”
To reinforce that point, the firm has published consumer-facing educational material that reads like a practical checklist for families navigating a sudden crisis. It urges prompt medical evaluation, documentation of symptoms and limitations, and caution with early insurance contacts, particularly recorded statements and broad releases.
“Insurance adjusters are not your advocates,” Murphy noted. “Their job is to limit the risk to the insurance company. That early call can become the version of events the defense relies on before your injuries are fully understood.”
Parkinson Law’s approach also reflects a belief that high-stakes injury cases must be valued based on long-term reality, not early assumptions.
“People ask what the case is worth,” Parkinson said. “The better question is what the injury has taken from your life, what it will continue to take, and what the value of that is. If the harm is permanent, the biggest part of the case is often in the future, not in what has already happened.”
In Greater Palm Springs, the firm’s launch lands in a region where seasonal population surges, tourism-driven traffic and long corridor travel patterns can contribute to high-severity incidents. The hospitality and retail landscape also creates premises liability exposure, particularly in environments where property conditions, lighting, stairways and security practices can affect safety.
Parkinson said the firm aims to build a reputation not on slogans but on a clear service model, trial credibility and direct attorney involvement.
“We are not trying to be everything to everyone,” Murphy added. “If a person has a minor incident, they may not need a firm built like this. But if an accident has taken away your health, your ability to work, or a member of your family, you need a different level of representation. You need lawyers who will pay attention, build the case properly and pursue full accountability.”
Parkinson Law, LLP is based in Indian Wells and serves clients across Greater Palm Springs and the broader Coachella Valley. The firm can be reached at 760-469-9110 and through its website at https://www.parkinson.law/.
