Patrick is a trial lawyer who counsels product manufacturers and distributors in complex personal injury and business disputes. While he spends the majority of his time in the Circuit Court of Cook County, one of the most difficult jurisdictions for defendants in the United States, Patrick has represented clients in multiple state and federal courts across the United States.
Manufacturers and distributors from a broad array of industries, including aircraft, construction equipment, fire sprinkler systems, ladders, power tools, and transformers, have turned to Patrick to guide them through all stages of litigation, including trial. He also has successfully resolved matters through dispositive motion, settlement, mediation and arbitration.
Patrick values bono service and he is committed to legal advocacy through his involvement with the Northern District of Illinois’ Trial Bar. Prior to joining McGuireWoods, he served as chair of the product liability practice group for a Midwestern litigation firm, where his leadership responsibilities included developing a litigation associate training program.
Experience
- Prepared successful Daubert motion and related summary judgment motion in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, and argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit who affirmed the trial court’s rulings in 2021.
- Obtained summary judgment for ladder manufacturer and distributor in 2021 in the Circuit Court of Cook County based on plaintiff’s lack of expert testimony regarding the existence of a defect.
- Successfully convinced trial court to grant a motion to reconsider and to reverse its entry of summary judgment in a $75 million real estate dispute thereby resulting in a trial set for August 2022 in the Circuit Court for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Lake County, Illinois.
- Prepared briefing that resulted in the Northern District of Illinois dismissing a non-diverse automobile dealer defendant for improper joinder under 28 U.S.C. § 1447(e) and Rule 15 in 2020.
- Member of trial team that obtained a defense verdict for construction equipment manufacturer in the Circuit Court of Cook County in 2019 where punitive damages were sought and plaintiff’s counsel asked the jury for $250 million.
- Obtained dismissal of robot manufacturer for lack of personal jurisdiction in the Northern District of Illinois in 2018.
- Obtained outright exclusion of plaintiff’s economist and severely limited the opinions of plaintiff’s engineering and warnings experts in 2017 in the Eastern District of Kentucky, which resulted in plaintiff dismissing the case.
- Oversaw management and litigation of serial table saw litigation in the Circuit Court of Cook County and served as second chair of a related trial in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, which served as the catalyst for resolving the existing Cook County litigation and discouraging copycat filings.
- Obtained defense verdict as second chair for fire sprinkler service company at a trial in the Circuit Court of Cook County involving allegations of an improperly serviced drain.
-
University of Illinois College of LawJD
cum laude
2007 -
University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignBSAccountancy, BS, Finance
with High Honors
2004
Member, Illinois Bar Association
Member, Defense Research Institute; Marketing Liason, Hand and Power Tools SLG
Scholar Mentor, Blackhawk Alumni Association
- Presenter, "The Anatomy of a Product Liability Lawsuit," Association of Equipment Manufacturers Product Liability Seminar, Itasca, Illinois, August 2020
- Presenter, "Fire Investigation in Today’s Environment," Will, Cook, Grundy County Fire Investigation Task Force, Tinley Park, Illinois, March 2017
- Presenter, "Beyond Pleading: Courting Your Client With a Tailored Defense in a Multiparty Loss," DRI Product Liability Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, February 2017
- Presenter, "It’s Time for the Regulator: The Basic Response to Product Advertisement Inquiries," DRI Product Liability Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, February 2016
- Presenter, "The Independent Private Investigation and Complex Litigation," Fire Investigators Strike Force, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, May 2015
- Moderator, "A View From the Bench," ACI Trucking Litigation Conference, Chicago, Illinois, 2015
- Presenter, "Get the Picture: Tips for Attending Product Inspections," DRI Product Liability Conference, Washington, D.C., 2013
- Presenter, "The 411 of Benzene Litigation," HB Litigations Benzene Litigation Audiocast, 2011
- Illinois
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Trial Bar)
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
Selected for inclusion in “Legal 500 United States,” Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Actions – Consumer Products – Defense, 2023
Awarded, “Outstanding Defense Verdict in a Product Liability Case,” Jury Verdict Reporter, Law Bulletin Media, 2022
Selected for inclusion in Emerging Lawyers, 2021
Named one of “40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch,” Law Bulletin Media’s Annual Survey, 2019
Selected for inclusion, Illinois Super Lawyers – Rising Stars, 2013-2017
- Author, FDA Issues Draft Guidance for Cosmetic Product Listing and Facility Registration, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, August 24, 2023
- Author, Illinois Takes Expansive View of Personal Jurisdiction Over Component Parts Manufacturer, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, May 15, 2023
- Author, "7th Circuit Product Liability Case Law Update," DRI Product Liability Conference, San Diego, California, February 2018
- Co-author, "7th Circuit Product Liability Case Law Update," DRI Product Liability Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, February 2017
- Author, "Recent Sports Concussion Litigation and Statutes of Limitations," The Whisper, Volume 12, Issue 12, December 2016
- Co-author, "The Basic Response to Product Advertisement Inquiries," For The Defense, April 2016
- Co-author, "7th Circuit Product Liability Case Law Update," DRI Product Liability Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, February 2015
- Co-author, "Practical Considerations and Tips for Young Attorneys: Counterclaims," Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel Quarterly, First Quarter 2015
- Co-author, "8th Circuit Product Liability Case Law Update," DRI Product Liability Conference, Washington, D.C., April 2013
- Co-author, "What Civil Court Judges Want You to Know," National Business Institute, 2008