Patrick is a graduate of Yale College (B.A. 1982) and Yale Law School (J.D. 1985).  Patrick ran track and lettered in varsity basketball at Yale.  From 1985 to 1986, Patrick clerked for then Chief Judge Sam C. Pointer of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.  He worked at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York, McCutchen Doyle in San Francisco and was a litigation partner for many years at Maynard Cooper & Gale in Birmingham.

 

While at Maynard Cooper, Patrick obtained the largest jury verdict in the State of Alabama for a trade secrets case and the third largest jury verdict ever in Jefferson County.  He successfully defended Bear Stearns in the only WorldCom securities action to go to trial.  Patrick’s clients included, among others, Merrill Lynch, Citibank, Bank of America, Solomon Brothers and Harley Davidson.  His cases have been covered by the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN and the Birmingham News.

 

In 2010, Patrick started the law firm of Ward & Cooper.  He has developed an extensive class action practice in the areas of securities fraud, consumer fraud and antitrust.  Patrick has been recognized as Best of the Bar and as a Super Lawyer.

 

Patrick’s pro bono work includes successfully suing the rapper Tupac Shakur for the wrongful death of a child and successfully litigating a race discrimination suit brought on behalf of African-American and Hispanic employees against the City and County of San Francisco.  Patrick founded a non-profit called Birmingham Vision which, among other things, taught chess to children living in housing projects in Birmingham.  He has also coached over 100 girls in the Alabama Roadrunners basketball program who have gone on to play college and professional basketball.

 

Patrick is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Commonwealth National Bank and is its majority shareholder.  Of the 43 banks doing business in Mobile, Alabama, Commonwealth is the only bank headquartered there.