Rapid Response Strategies in Accident Investigations: Legal & Claims Perspectives

Patrick holds three degrees from nationally respected institutions. He earned his B.S. (cum laude) from Northern Arizona University, where he was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and competed in Division I-A football as a defensive back in the Big Sky Conference (1978–81). He went on to earn his M.S. (magna cum laude) from Northwestern University and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, where he was inducted into Phi Delta Phi Honor Society.

Patrick's career is defined by consistent, peer-driven recognition at the highest levels of the profession. He has held the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating — the highest peer-review standard — continuously since 1990, alongside an A+ rating from Best Recommended Attorneys over the same period. He has been selected by his peers to Illinois Super Lawyers every year since 2006 and elected to Leading Lawyers, a distinction held by the top 2% of all Illinois attorneys, that same year. In 2008, the Illinois Bar Journal named him a Top Civil Defense Lawyer, and in 2005, Chicago Lawyer recognized him among the top civil defense-related lawyers in Illinois. He was elected to the American College of Transportation Attorneys (ACTA) in 2009 as the sole Illinois representative, a role he continues to hold while also serving as Treasurer and Conference Co-Chair. Crain's Chicago Business named him a Top Civil Defense Trial Lawyer in Illinois in 2013 — the same year Super Lawyers magazine featured him in a profile article titled Continuing A Legal Legacy. Chicago Magazine recognized him as a Top Attorney in Illinois in 2019, and in 2020, the American College of Trial Lawyers selected him as one of America's Top 100 Civil Defense Litigators. Most recently, he was inducted into the Illinois Society of Trial Lawyers in 2023.

Patrick is deeply engaged in professional organizations, bar activities, legal education, and philanthropic service. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, the American Trial Lawyers Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the International Association of Defense Counsel, and the Defense Research Institute (DRI), where he has been a member since 1980 and has served on the Trucking Sub-Committee since 1997 and the Litigation Skills Committee since 2023. He is a longstanding member of the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) since 1987, the Transportation Lawyers Association, and the American College of Transportation Attorneys (ACTA) as the sole Illinois representative since 2009. His leadership roles include election to the Illinois Defense Council Board of Directors (2005–2008), service as an Assembly Member of the Illinois State Assembly (1994–1996), and chairmanship of the 20th Annual TIDA Industry Seminar in 2012, in addition to service on multiple Chicago Bar Association committees — including the Trial Techniques, Tort Litigation, and Civil Practice Committees — and on the ISBA's Allerton House Steering Committee. A prolific speaker and educator, Patrick has delivered seminars and keynote presentations at conferences hosted by ACTA, TIDA, DRI, the ABA, CLM, ACI, and the ATA, as well as for major carriers such as Schneider National and Swift Transportation, on topics ranging from defending catastrophic-loss claims and confronting "Reptile Theory" plaintiff strategies to remittitur and post-trial motions, litigation ethics, rapid-response investigation, and autonomous vehicle liability — with notable engagements including presenting at Lloyd's of London on negotiation tactics (2019), serving as an Instructor in Georgetown University's Summer Trial Law Program (2024), and teaching Strategic Negotiation Management workshops in Northwestern University's Masters Program (Spring 2025), alongside multi-city national seminar tours spanning Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, Philadelphia, New York City, Houston, and Los Angeles. He has authored numerous articles published in the Illinois State Bar Association Trial Briefs, the Illinois Bar Journal, the Illinois Law Journal, and DRI's In Transit, covering topics including peremptory challenges, good-faith findings, the collateral source rule, broker liability, blood-alcohol evidence in civil cases, intoxication as a defense, and autonomous vehicle liability. Beyond the profession, Patrick has devoted decades to charitable work, serving as Executive Director of Children's Charities of Chicago (1985–1996) and as a member of the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago Board of Advisors since 1997, appointed by Cardinal George, along with service on the Legal Advisory Committee of Catholic Charities since 2000 and board and advisory positions with Chicago Canine Rescue (2005–Present), the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (2015–2019), the National Shrine of Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini Mercy Home (2016–Present), Hammer Fitness – Youth Boxing (2022–Present), and the Maryville Foundation (2023–Present).

Patrick's career at Dowd & Dowd, Ltd. spans four decades of civil defense trial work at the highest level, serving as Regional and National counsel defending catastrophic-loss claims in state and federal courts throughout the United States, with concentrated expertise in transportation and trucking litigation, insurance defense, products liability, and premises liability. His trial record is extensive and well-documented through years of sustained peer recognition — he has been continuously selected to Super Lawyers since 2006, elected to Leading Lawyers as one of the top 2% of Illinois attorneys, and inducted into the Illinois Society of Trial Lawyers in 2023, distinctions that collectively attest to his standing among the most accomplished civil defense trial attorneys in the state, while his election to the American College of Transportation Attorneys as the sole Illinois representative further underscores his national prominence in the transportation defense arena. Beyond the courtroom, Patrick has shaped the practice through decades of thought leadership — authoring articles on evolving areas of civil defense law, chairing major industry seminars, and teaching trial advocacy and strategic negotiation at Georgetown University and Northwestern University — reflecting a deep commitment not only to winning cases but to advancing the profession and giving back through extensive charitable service.