42 CORP AMERICA / MARCH 2017 , It is always flattering to win an award, but I was just as smart, experienced, and dedicated to my clients’ welfare before we won it. Patterson Law Firm is aMidwest, US-based commercial litigation firm that is known for undertaking challenging business lawsuits. Unwavering Dedication Company background and market Patterson Law Firm currently represent Person A in his lawsuit against former Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert, alleging breach of contract, Gogo Inflight Internet in a lawsuit against Squire Patton Boggs, alleging legal malpractice with respect to patents, and Revolaze against Dentons, reputedly the largest law firm in the world, for legal malpractice with respect to a conflict of interest because it tried to represent two opposing parties in reliance on its Swiss verein structure. The Dentons case should be of interest—and concern--to every corporation in the United States. We have represented companies from Shanghai, the UK, Japan, Pakistan and other countries in their commercial litigation cases in the US. Our partners have represented NBA players, class action plaintiffs, doctors, software programmers, commercial landlords and tenants, minority and majority shareholders and LLC members, general contractors, subcontractors, businesses entitled to insurance coverage, and businesses of all types who need emergency protection. We are a small firm, but have big firm experience. Mr. Patterson has written a 600-page book published by the American Bar Association on remedies available to businesses in an emergency. Partner Jefferey Ogden Katz has lectured widely and written on legal malpractice topics, and firm attorney James Nyeste has written chapters in text and reference books relating to insurance coverage. Thomas E. Patterson, Founder and Managing Partner 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. After serving as a law clerk to Justice William G. Clark of the Illinois Supreme Court, I joined a large Chicago law firm, becoming an equity partner, but left to join a spin-off firm, and then started my own firm in 2000. Originally I only aspired to be a great trial lawyer, but after experience in two law firms, I thought I could do better, and I have. Neither of my prior firms now exist. In terms of challenges I have had to face and overcome throughout my career, there have been plenty of them in court and we list some of them on our website: www.pattersonlawfirm. com. Management challenges include handling growth and maintaining our culture of winning while having fun. Managing staff - key principles When I started my own firm and then hired other lawyers to help me, I wanted the firm to be more than a collection of individuals. We have different personalities and backgrounds, but a unified point of view, the same high standards, and an aggressive and creative approach to solving client problems in court and in the pocketbook. I have other principles, but they are so valuable that I cannot reveal them. Remaining innovative We have unique payment plans. For hourly fee assignments, we offer a guarantee. If a client believes that any particular time entry on their invoice was not a good value, they are entitled circle the entry within 15 days and pay the balance within 30 days and we will write off the circled entry or entries. We pioneered the concept of the “blended hourly-contingent fee” for some business cases. As opposed to paying full hourly rates, the client is only charged a percentage of them. The firm can only collect its full fee if we win the case. Technology trends The editor of Wired magazine said it was impossible to stay current with technology. We do it by hiring young lawyers and listening to them. Clients don’t pay me for my technological expertise, although I am relatively up to date, but rather for my judgment, experience, and ability to recruit, train, and supervise the superior talent we have been able to attract to the firm. Future Aspirations of the Firm We will get as big as we deserve to get, focusing on organic growth but adding lawyers laterally as opportunities arise. We are 100% dispute resolution: negotiations, mediations, arbitrations, and litigation. We generally refer transactional work to others. Our emphasis is on youth. We give someone out of law school the chance to meet clients, go to court, take depositions, and participate in trials much faster than the big firms, all supervised. In five years’ time, we will have offices in many states and countries; will have a university-type training program similar to GE’s Croton school; but we will have the same culture and attention to detail and service that we have now. Clients will get the benefit of over a century of experience of our top four actively practicing lawyers and the energy of our new recruits. Where do I see myself in five years? In court, of course. K Firm Name: Patterson Law Firm Contact: Thomas E. Patterson Address: One North LaSalle Street, 21st Floor Chicago, IL 60602 Email:
[email protected] Telephone: +1 (312) 223-1699 Website: www.pattersonlawfirm.com 1702CA80