Thomas E. Patterson
Managing Partner
Biography
My as yet unwritten memoir
is going to be called Confessions of a
Trial Lawyer. I don’t know if they will be more
interesting than St. Augustine’s, but they will be less mysterious
than St. Patrick’s. Until then, I briefly note a few relevant
background facts.
Early
leadership
Twice elected President of the Student Senate in college, I
learned how to debate opponents, choose winning political issues,
and efficiently manage an organization of independent-minded
representatives. (Today I debate opponents in court in every case,
select themes to appeal to juries, and despise meetings that drag
on and accomplish nothing.)
Straight commission
salesman
After graduation, I became a straight commission salesman to earn
the money for law school. We were trained in the salesmanship
principles of Xerox Corporation: how to accent benefits, use
directive and non-directive questions, and rebut easy and difficult
objections. (Today I use the same questioning techniques in
depositions and the same structure for answering objections during
legal arguments. My passion for closing sales has been replaced by
my desire to win business lawsuits.)
Law Review
Selected as an Editor of the Law Review in Law School, I published
this Note, Ex Parte Contacts in Informal
Rulemaking Proceedings: Home Box Office v. FCC, 27
DePaul Law Review 489 (1978), which the bar association
administrative law committee said was “unusually perceptive.” (The
written word is the lawyer’s stock in trade: court papers
have to be well-researched, concise, and lucid to persuade.)
An insider’s
view
The late Justice William G. Clark of the Illinois Supreme Court
designated me as one of his two Law Clerks upon graduation.
While researching and writing memorandums for the court, I received
a priceless insider’s education in the working of our system of
justice from a man who was uniquely qualified to teach it.
(Such was his influence that 37 years later I still recall many of
his stories and observations verbatim.)
Big firm
experience
Putting this education into practice at a large Chicago law firm,
I prepared and tried lawsuits and appeals, winning several that
became famous.
After conducting an estimated 100
trials, evidentiary hearings, and arbitrations, representing
everyone from the Boy Scouts to a murderer, I have strong opinions
about how to win business lawsuits. I shared some of them in
a book— Handling The Business Emergency: Temporary
Restraining Orders and Preliminary Injunctions-- published
by the American Bar Association in 2009—and others in speeches and
articles (listed below).
My partners forbid me from revealing
all of our secrets, but I would be happy to put our principles to
work for you on any assignment within our competence.
A new approach
When I started my own firm and then hired other lawyers to help
me, I wanted to be more than a collection of individuals. We have
different personalities and backgrounds, but a unified point of
view, high standards, and an aggressive and creative approach to
solving client problems.
“What’s he really
like?”
President Kennedy once told a friend that the journalist’s job was
to reveal what someone was really like. Biographical sketches
try to do that, and often end up as a compendium of personal
matters: childhood achievements (Eagle Scout), favorite
books and movies (too many to list), place of worship (Fourth
Presbyterian Church), avocations (hiking, camping, rafting), or
even accomplishments of children (my son is a Major in the United
States Army).
 |
| Thomas E. Patterson in the
Rocky Mountains |
More relevant might be the results of the DiSC personality test
that our group of CEO’s took at a Vistage meeting. I tested
as a D and C. D’s tendencies include “getting immediate
results,” “causing action,” “accepting challenges,” “managing
trouble,” and “solving problems.” C’s tendencies include
“concentrating on key details,” “thinking analytically,” “checking
for accuracy,” “analyzing performance critically,” and “using a
systematic approach.”
If you think I can help you, get in touch with me by phone at
312.750.1822 or email.
Education
J.D., DePaul University School of Law,
1979
Illinois Wesleyan University, 1975
Jurisdictions Admitted to
Practice
Illinois
United States Supreme Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth
Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh
Circuit
United States District Court of the Northern District of
Illinois
United States District Court of the Northern District of
Indiana
United States District Court of
Massachusetts
United States Court of Federal Claims
Professional & Bar Association
Memberships
7th Circuit Bar Association
Appellate Lawyers Association
Books
American Bar Association
- Handling the Business Emergency: Temporary Restraining
Orders and Preliminary Injunctions (2009)
Lectures, Articles & Recognition
Apex CLE:
- Online Continuing Education Course on the
Attorney-Client Privilege
- Online Continuing Education Course on Temporary
Restraining Orders and and
Preliminary
Injunctions
Asian-American Business Expo:
- Shareholder Disputes and Employee
Contracts
Chicago Bar Association:
- Shareholder Disputes
- You have a Trial Date, Now What? Practical Advice for
Trying Your Case
Hospitality Law Conference:
- Insurance and Confidentiality Issues in the Hospitality
Industry
National Business Institute:
- Breach of Contract
- Restrictive Covenants
- Indemnification Contracts
- Ethics in Business Acquisitions
RIMS Conference:
- How to Keep Secrets: The Attorney-Client
Privilege
- When is an Expert Not an Expert?
- How to Avoid Legal Pitfalls of E-Commerce
InsideCounsel Op-Ed Column:
- Preliminary Injunctions and Temporary Restraining
Orders
- Shareholder Disputes
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Bi-Monthly
Co-Columnist:
- Non-pattern Jury Instructions
Martindale-Hubbell®
- AV Preeminent Rated™ Lawyer (highest ranking in
competence and ethics), since 2003
SuperLawyers Magazine
Leading Lawyers
- Illinois Leading Lawyer: 2016
