Patrick is drawn to the art of legal argument and the intellectual pliancy the practice of law demands in order to prevail. Cicero once won two cases on the same cause of action and virtually identical facts: in one case he represented the defendant and in the other, the plaintiff. This embodies a credo Patrick keeps before himself: that a good lawyer just needs the facts on his side, whereas a great lawyer only needs a side to argue the facts.

First introduced to criminal defense as a legal intern at the felony division of the Cook County Public Defender's Office at 26th and California and then to civil plaintiff and business litigation, Patrick never considers a case solely from the client's position. The winning argument for the plaintiff may reside in the response to an argument or theory of the case brought by the other side, but it may be missed if the lawyer's mind is closed to it.

A diversity of experiences in the corporate, insurance, small business and provider services arenas preceded Patrick's entry into law, affording an understanding of the business models and dynamics that often inform business litigation matters. His training in intellectual property gives him an exceptional grasp of the cardinal importance for a company in protecting its product and service lines. For many years he worked for small, family-run businesses in the graphic arts trade before moving on to the largest Blue Cross Plan in the country in northern California and later to MCI-WorldCom. He has worked on more corporate law and business litigation matters than any other area of the law, and brings a natural affinity for the concepts of corporate law to the discipline.

Patrick's deep connections with legal draftsmanship are a continuation of his penchant for writing. He has also had his poetry published in various journals over the years, including journals with a national reputation such as The Iowa Review and Northeast Corridor.

Patrick is a new associate at Bellas & Wachowski. He graduated from University of Illinois-Chicago with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He received his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law, also earning a certificate in intellectual property. Patrick was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2008.