Biography

Patrick Chavez practices exclusively in complex civil litigation, primarily in the areas of commercial litigation, products and professional liability defense, and defending catastrophic personal injury claims. In the area of professional liability, he has over a decade of experience litigating medical malpractice suits, and the products he has defended include commercial meat grinders, waterpark waterslides, septic tanks, on-highway and off-highway heavy-duty construction vehicles, and construction hoists.

Patrick's professional interests also include keeping up-to-date on the impact technology has in the civil litigation arena, now frequently called “e-litigation.” He regularly advises clients in risk management areas involving technology, including social media and document retention policies. Additionally, Patrick is experienced in the area of e-discovery and can advise clients facing e-discovery challenges on an efficient, cooperative, transparent process both to collect and review electronically stored information to reduce the inefficiencies inherent in this ever-evolving area of the law.

Patrick is extensively involved in community and legal education activities and is a frequent judge for national collegiate and high school mock trials and other national law school competitions. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the non-profit St. Louis Bar Foundation and works with both the Bar Foundation and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis to promote the interests of diverse communities, as well as to advance the goal of increasing diversity within the legal profession.

Born in El Paso, Texas and raised in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, Patrick currently lives in St. Louis with his wife Sandy and step-children, Melanie and Danny.

Education

• Washington University School of Law, J.D., 1998
  • International Academy of Trial Attorneys Award
• Southwestern University, B.A., cum laude 1995
  • Phi Beta Kappa

Professional Affiliations

• Missouri Bar
• Illinois State Bar Association
• American Bar Association
  • Member, Section of Litigation
  • Member, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section
  • Member, Minority Trial Lawyers Committee
  • Member, Section of Science & Technology
• Defense Research Institute
  • Member, Commercial Litigation Committee
  • Member, Product Liability Committee
  • Member, Professional Liability Committee
  • Member, Diversity Committee
• Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
  • Member-at-Large (2008 - present)
  • Chair, Minorities in the Legal Profession Committee (2008 - present)
  • Board of Governors (2006 - present)
  • Executive Committee (2007 - 2008)
  • Chair, Law Related Education Committee (2003 - 2008)
  • Chair, Young Lawyers' Division (2007 - 2008)
  • Chair-Elect, Young Lawyers' Division (2006 - 2007)
  • Vice-Chair, Young Lawyers' Division (2005 - 2006)
  • Secretary, Young Lawyers' Division (2004 - 2005)
  • Member, Finance Committee (2006 - 2007)
• St. Louis Bar Foundation
  • Board Member (2007 - present)
• St. Louis County Bar Association
• Hispanic National Bar Association
  • Litigation and Dispute Resolution Section
• Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis

Representative Cases

• Gibbs v. Blockbuster Inc. No. ED93205 (Mo.App. E.D. 2010)

Awards and Honors

• President's Outstanding Service Award, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (2009 and 2004)
• Young Lawyers' Division Award of Merit, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (2002)

Bar Admissions

• United States Courts of Appeals
  • Seventh Circuit
  • Eighth Circuit
• United States District Courts
  • Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri
  • Southern, Central and Northern Districts of Illinois
• Missouri
• Illinois

Publications & Lectures

• Presenter, “How To Approach Career Development In The Saint Louis Market,” Saint Louis University School of Law (2009)
• Moderator, “Care & Feeding of In-House Counsel,” Bench and Bar Conference (2008)
• Presenter, Gateway Mock Trial Institute (1999 - present)
• Moderator, “Making the Record on Appeal Panel,” Bench and Bar Conference (2005)
• Moderator, “Motion Practice Panel,” Bench and Bar Conference (2004)
• Presenter, “Tomorrow's Lawyers,” American Bar Association Young Lawyers' Division Fall Conference (2001)