Mr. Ward was born in San Francisco, California. He graduated from Ben Lomond High School in Utah before returning to California to attend the University of California at Berkeley, where he graduated Cum Laude. Mr. Ward became a member of the California State Bar in 1977 and a member of the Utah State Bar in 1978.

Mr. Ward is the president and managing shareholder of Gridley, Ward and VanDyke. He has been successfully representing injured persons for over 25 years. He took the experience he gained in working in the medical field and chose to represent people who have been injured through no fault of their own. Mr. Ward has represented thousands of injured people in the areas of personal injury. He has won substantial verdicts for people injured in automobile, trucking, and train collisions, most recently his team of lawyers won a $16.4 million verdict in 2001 case that is currently the largest individual verdict in Utah history.

Mr. Ward is currently an advisory board member of Utah Associates for Justice, a member of the Utah Brain Injury Association, the Weber County Bar Association, and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Mr. Ward has served on the Board of Governors of the Utah Trial Lawyers Association and as president of the Weber County Bar Association. Mr. Ward is admitted to practice in all Federal and State Courts in the state of Utah.

Erik and his wife, Linda, have three children and his hobbies include all types of sports and recreational activities.