Reza TorkzadehFounder & CEO of
TorkLaw

For better or worse, people find their life’s purpose – their ‘why’ – through the actions or inactions of their loved ones, strangers, corporations, or government entities.

For Reza Torkzadeh, founder and senior partner of TorkLaw, his purpose came to him before he could walk or talk. Son of Iranian immigrants who fled the country during the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Reza grew up in southern California seeing his fair share of injustices.

“[My parents] came to America looking for the American dream,” says Reza. “But what I got to witness growing up was injustice – what happens where there is inequality in a system that is not fair to all.”

Thus, the seed of his purpose was planted. It was a simple creed; a North Star guiding him exactly where he was supposed to be. Where he needed to be.

Fight for what’s right.

“[I watched] what my parents had to go through to restart their life in a country where they didn’t know the culture, they didn’t know the language, they didn’t have the money and the means,” Reza recalls. “Watching them work so hard to provide for my brother and I to have the opportunity that was taken from them gave me the mentality of truly fighting for what is right.”

Ultimately, this is what inspired Reza to pursue a law degree from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego in 2006 and eventually establish TorkLaw, a personal injury and accident firm, in 2012.

“As I sit here today, I can’t imagine doing anything other than what I do, which is representing people who need help during some of the darkest, most challenging times of their lives,” says Reza.

What it means to be the great equalizer

TorkLaw is a plaintiffs-only firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, where their team of 75 legal professionals exclusively represents victims of serious personal injury and wrongful death of a loved one. While Reza chose this work because it aligned with his mission to help those in need, he was also drawn to the contingency-fee model.

“That means you don’t pay us by the hour. You don’t pay us a retainer upfront,” Reza explains. “Everyone that we represent gets to have excellent legal representation without worrying about how they’re going to pay for it. To me, that was all I needed to know.”

Through founding TorkLaw, Reza has made several commitments to himself and his clients: to provide equitable access to the American legal system; to seek justice and advocate for those who have been hurt; and to make his community safer in the process. Together, they make Reza’s work not just important, but life-changing.

“Being able to level the playing field for my clients is truly as meaningful as it gets,” Reza says. “They say justice is blind – it doesn’t matter what color your skin is, what your religion is, [or] how much money you have. For me, being the great equalizer is what I love about the law.”

Success, defeat, and leveling the playing field

At its core, TorkLaw aims to change people’s lives every single day, no matter their walk of life. From the homeless to the wealthy, Reza’s sights are ever-set on leveling the playing field to find truth and deliver justice.

In one such case, Reza recalls helping a homeless man who was struck by a car.

“We were able to get a successful outcome in his case and he was able to purchase a home [and] get on his feet…to make a new life,” says Reza.

Yet, in the same breath, Reza remembers prosecuting a tragic, wrongful death case that ended up proving TorkLaw’s ability to affect change where it mattered most – even in defeat.

“Our client was struck by a car at an intersection which we believed was very dangerous,” says Reza. “We were arguing that the city knew it was dangerous because there was a 25-year history of accidents at that intersection.”

More than 100 accidents, to be specific. During the trial, the TorkLaw team argued that with minimal expense, the city had every opportunity to install stop signs or traffic lights to prevent further accidents. Still, they ultimately lost.

“But what happened was, after the trial, the city made all of [those] changes,” Reza says. “So even though we lost and it was heartbreaking, no one will ever get killed at that intersection again.”

To Reza, this outcome defines the work of trial lawyers all over the country. Every success, defeat, or settlement is one step closer to making products, services, experiences, and communities safer for everyone involved.

“If it wasn’t for the plaintiff lawyers who are bringing these lawsuits and representing individuals who have been injured, then corporations would just continue to put their profits over the people,” says Reza.

A true partnership fuels a true purpose

With a nationwide reach, TorkLaw has seized every opportunity to represent the average Davids in a sea of corporate Goliaths. But because opportunity and challenge are two sides of the same coin, Reza needed the financial confidence to keep moving forward.

“One of the biggest challenges for any plaintiffs firm that works on a contingency fee is having the resources to truly prosecute cases properly, effectively, and competently,” Reza says.

For years, the firm struggled using a local bank that didn’t understand how contingency fee law firms worked. Instead, they were treated like any other business. Not only did this inhibit TorkLaw’s growth, but it prevented the firm from properly scaling to reach more of the community.

That’s when Reza found Esquire Bank.

“It’s been amazing to have a banking partner that gives us access to the funds needed to engage in very expensive and complex litigation,” says Reza. “Esquire Bank understands the impact that our work has on the community and the lives of those we represent. Having a true partnership with a bank has made all the difference in the world.”

As TorkLaw continues to grow and succeed, so too has Reza. After 17 years in the industry, and with every win and loss, when he lays his head on his pillow at night, Reza doesn’t just feel proud. He feels lucky.

“I’m incredibly lucky that this is the way I get to feed my family. It’s a true purpose,” Reza says.

It was never about luck, though. It was his bravery in acknowledging an imperfect justice system and vowing to help change it for future generations. It was about dedication, tenacity, and integrity. It was his purpose, for the better.