Distinguished Lemoore High alum opens private criminal law practice

LEMOORE — William Parry has been named as the recipient of the first Lemoore Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Award. Parry, a lawyer who just wrapped up a six-year term on the chamber’s board of directors, will be honored for his service at the organization’s annual gala Friday night at the Tachi Palace. “I’m really humbled and honored because the award’s coming from people who volunteer a lot and do a lot for their community and give back a lot,” Parry said. “The chamber board, our CEO, Amy Ward, and her staff — all those people work really hard.” The Chairman’s Award is newly added for this year’s gala, joining categories such as Organization of the Year, Citizen of the Year, Business of the Year and Public Safety Individual of the Year, which was implemented three years ago. The idea of an award to honor board members came at Parry’s final board meeting of 2019. “Much to my surprise, one of my fellow board members nominated me,” he said. “They voted me in and it was a really nice surprise.” Parry said that he and his wife, who also serves on the board, were both surprised by the nomination. Parry has also served on the Kings County Fair board of directors for 14 years as well as the United Way board and is currently on the Lemoore High School Foundation board. Parry began daydreaming about a career in law around the eighth grade, he said. Growing up in a house with parents who taught school for a living, liberal arts and language skills were highly valued in his home. “My mom always said I liked to argue,” he joked. “The lawyer thing, for lots of reasons, seemed attractive to me to my skill set.” After graduating from Lemoore High School, Parry went on to graduate magna cum laude from California State University, Fresno, in 1995. He later earned a degree at San Joaquin College of Law before working at various law firms in Visalia and Hanford. Parry established his own law firm, focused solely on criminal defense, about three years ago. “I learned a lot from a lot of good lawyers but I thought, at this stage in my career, it’s a good move for me. It was time for me to open my own practice and take the good lessons and mentoring that I’d received, but also do things the way I wanted to do them,” he said. Parry said that, as King’s County’s only private lawyer that solely takes criminal defense cases, he’s sometimes asked by friends and acquaintances how he can defend alleged criminals. His reply is simple – how can he not? “It boils down to the Constitution. People have rights. When criminal accusations come to a person, it affects them, it affects their kids, and it affects their family and their job. It’s a tremendously scary and stressful time for them. I’m happy to help them navigate through what is probably going to be the toughest time of their life,” he said, adding that he’s helped a lot of good people over the past two decades. Proud of the work he does in the courtroom, Parry is equally proud of the work he’s done with the Lemoore Chamber of Commerce. “I’m really proud of the good relationship we’ve forged with the City of Lemoore. I feel that we have an excellent working relationship with the City and that helps the Chamber and the business community of Lemoore,” he said. “It also helps the city as a whole.” SOURCE- HANFORD SENTINEL