In Memory of Richard J. Ryan. Harwood Lloyd sends its condolences to the family of our beloved Partner and friend.
I have worked with Richard (“Dick”) Ryan since January of 1983. When I first started working with Richard, he had been handling many estate planning clients as well as Estate Administration matters. Richard also handled commercial transactions, real estate matters, partnerships, and corporate matters. However, his primary practice was in complex estate planning and estate administration. I quickly learned that his clients put their trust in him because he had a way of making his clients feel comfortable and at ease during very difficult times. His reputation in the estate planning/estate administration legal world was, by far, at the top in the industry. He helped build Harwood Lloyd’s Estate practice to what it is today. He mentored myself and many of the young attorneys and his mentoring helped build our department. As we all knew, we had big shoes to fill in order to continue making his practice the best in the industry.
Richard had a wonderful demeanor, a sense of professionalism and a caring way with every person he met. He was easy to like and fun to be around. His knowledge of tax, estate planning and practicality was amazing and his clients knew it after their first consultation with him. He often had referrals from current clients and their family members because they all knew that he was willing to assist anyone who was referred to him in all of their legal transactions . That was the beauty of his practice. Richard was there to give his all to any client that walked in the door without hesitation. His philosophy was to never turn down a perspective client.
Richard had a great sense of humor and he loved to tell stories that would keep everyone smiling. He was full of life and he lived every day to its fullest. Richard made coming to the office every day a joy and it never felt like it was a job for me. I looked forward to hearing another story and learning something new each and every day!
Lynn A. Annese
