He grew up in Mount Olive, Alabama. Though his busy parents – Mom, a local store manager and Dad, an account executive at a mortgage company – were very involved in his life, they also gave their son a wide berth to make his own decisions and his own mistakes. Parker believes that their “hands-off” rearing style conditioned him to be independent and taught him how to make the right decisions on his own.
At 14, he took his first job at a local golf course as a cart boy. Over the years, he wore many hats: lifeguard, maintenance man, toilet scrubber, lawnmower, and clubhouse pro shop manager. Though it wasn’t always glamorous, some of Parker’s fondest memories and most formative experiences happened out on the green, spending time with his dad and the other members, just observing how they talked and treated each other. There, manners often went to wayside, business faces came off, and real selves were on display, yet there was always an unspoken respect and admiration for one another. That realness and honesty is engrained into how Parker connects with people still today.
It was also at the club where Parker got his first taste of what it was like to be a lawyer. After a tremendous amount of begging, his dad’s good friend, an attorney who Parker calls “godfather,” let the young teen come and intern at his law firm. Parker got to meet personal injury clients who were often destitute and injured through no fault of their own. After witnessing the attorney’s grace and respect for the less fortunate, and his strength with those standing in their way, Parker was convinced that he had found what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
This skilled negotiator and seasoned trial attorney got his feet wet working his way up during law school from the “copier to the courthouse” at a small personal injury firm in Birmingham. He learned to be flexible, resourceful and to think on his feet. Every task and opportunity, no matter how great or small, he credits for making him a better attorney and a stronger person.
Before being invited to join the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm (or even applying), Parker often corresponded with our firm’s attorneys to assist people in finding representation for Alabama claims. Through their communications, RML’s band of attorneys quickly recognized Parker’s dedication and willingness to do whatever he could to ensure that folks got justice. When Parker decided he was ready for a new challenge in Nashville, he had unknowingly already impressed our team, and established such a rapport, that the interview process was just a formality.
Let’s be honest: Parker had “Gladiator” written all over him.
Parker is lionhearted and wholly invested in each client as if they were his only client. He’s driven to fight because he understands the struggle, and how unfairly injury victims are treated by insurance companies. He knows that for many clients, especially for those living paycheck to paycheck prior to their injury, just how much is riding on securing a deserving recovery. He’s ready to battle the bullies and replace our clients’ worries and burdens with comfort and peace of mind for the future.
In his free time, Parker still loves hitting the course, the occasional French press coffee, lazy football Sundays, good Thai food, and hanging out with his MVP (and favorite person in the world), his sister, Sydney.
