Lawyer dies after skiing accident

TRIBUTES have been paid to a Yorkshire lawyer who died after being caught in an avalanche while skiing in the Italian Alps.

James Ryan, a solicitor at Walker Morris in Leeds, was skiing off-piste in Val di Rhemes when the accident happened.

Peter Smart, the chairman of Walker Morris, told TheBusinessDesk.com Mr Ryan was a “genuinely nice guy” and said the firm had been overwhelmed by the number of letters and emails paying tribute to the 36-year-old.

Mr Smart said: “It’s as if all of the emails and letters we’ve received here at Walker Morris in the last 24 hours have been written by people who have sat down and written them together.

“Everyone has referred to the friend that James was to them and that he was a genuinely nice guy. He has been described by everyone as an absolute gentleman.”  

Mr Smart said the firm was planning to collate all the tributes to Mr Ryan from friends, colleagues and clients and send them on to his family.

Mr Ryan, who trained at Gordons in Leeds before joining Walker Morris five years ago, was an associate specialising in corporate law.   

“He was completely unflappable in his job, clients loved him and was a truly pleasant man,” Mr Smart said.

Mr Ryan, of Huddersfield, was with a group of friends and a guide when the tragedy occurred.

A skiing companion who was also hit by the avalanche survived.

Mr Ryan was married to Helen and also leaves two children, William, aged three, and Elizabeth, five.

The avalanche took place at about 5pm on Sunday, when the group was skiing near the Punta Paletta run on Mount Rosso.

An accomplished skier, Mr Ryan was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Mr Smart said clients and colleagues at the law firm had been left devastated by Mr Ryan’s death.

He said My Ryan’s talents had been underlined during a secondment at  Hargreaves Services, with the mining group being “extremely pleased” with his work on their behalf.

Prior to his career in law, Mr Ryan spent several years travelling and working as a ski instructor. 

The tragedy is the second to hit the Yorkshire corporate community in a little over a year following the death of Philip Tate, a founding member and investment director at Leeds-based investment fund Endless, in 2008.

Mr Tate died in a snowboarding accident in the French Alps.

Please leave your tributes to James Ryan below.