Ashley Noel Parris

For more than 20 years, Ashley Parris has been a trial lawyer dedicated to giving a voice to people who might otherwise go unheard. Her clients are often victims of senseless tragedies who are further marginalized because of their gender, race, or background. Many cannot afford a lawyer or do not know how to take on the powerful forces against them. Ashley and her team at MPTL make it their mission to stand with these clients and ensure they are treated fairly.

Ashley views trial work as a powerful tool and a craft developed through time, study, and practice. She grew up around some of the most successful trial lawyers in the country and has a unique feel for how to turn a case into a story that reaches jurors’ hearts as well as their heads. Colleagues and clients know her as a gifted storyteller who explains complex science and law with sincerity, simplicity, and a little bit of humor.

Teaching has always been central to Ashley’s work. She spent a decade on the faculty of the Trial Lawyers College, where she has led its flagship three-week program and its course on asking juries for money in an honest and grounded way. Earlier in her career, she served as Supervising Attorney for the Slum Housing Litigation Department at Inner City Law Center, experience that deepened her commitment to people who are often marginalized and treated unfairly. She has been recognized as a Super Lawyer Rising Star, a Super Lawyer, and Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Ventura County Trial Lawyers Association.

Ashley has particular expertise in chronic pain and other invisible injuries. She has seen how chronic pain can devastate a person and a family, and how often these injuries are overlooked or dismissed, especially when the client is a woman or a person of color. At MPTL, she has made it a priority to ensure these clients are heard and treated with the respect and seriousness they deserve.

Ashley is the managing partner at MPTL and practices alongside her husband, Steve McElroy, focusing on complex catastrophic injury trials. Their practice is rooted in Ojai with an additional office in Los Angeles, and they regularly travel to handle cases wherever their clients need them. In every setting, Ashley brings a steady, human presence and unwavering advocacy for the people she represents.