lawyers – Lawyers Road Review

There is Refuge in the Road

November 13, 2022

Pete Patterson finds Refuge in the Road. Lawyers Road Review is now a book. … More There is Refuge in the Road

War crimes are back, this time in living color. I take the anniversary of Germany’s surrender in WWII to highlight how far we have come to a well developed international justice system to deal timely these crimes. … More Judgment at Kyiv

Wishes for the Fishes: China and the Law of the Sea

May 22, 2021

In international relations, is the world as wide open as it was in the 1930s when legends like Hemingway were made? Or did our post-WWII efforts to avoid war as a remedy to conflict by adopting international laws amount to anything enforceable? What if the parties refuse to act in good faith? … More Wishes for the Fishes: China and the Law of the Sea

Sound Bytes from Family Law

March 25, 2018

There are just so may sound bytes from family law that stick with a guy after a few decades of practice. “Mr. Patterson, Control Your Client!” the guy says to me. Couldn’t see who it was but I think it was my clients ex-husband. The hearing had not gone well for us and his former … More Sound Bytes from Family Law

TV Lawyers

November 18, 2017

I remember watching Perry Mason literally sitting on my fathers knee in some rented house in Everett as a child. Like everything in the early 1960’s, the show was in black and white, and I do believe we as a country expected the law to be as stark; right and wrong. Dad was in law … More TV Lawyers

Richard M. Nixon on Financial Transparency of Public Servants

June 18, 2017

Mr. Trump could learn a few things from his predecessor, Richard Nixon. This weekend the New York Times is reporting on President Trump’s financial disclosure made Friday. The report shows holdings with foreign countries and what appears to this lawyer to be a conflict of interest at best and a foreign emolument at worst. Wading … More Richard M. Nixon on Financial Transparency of Public Servants

The James D. Shipman Interview

April 6, 2017

Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. George Santayana -1905 This famous statement could be attributed to my guest, lawyer and author James D. Shipman in 2017. Bitter Rain is the title of Jim’s fourth historical novel and the second in a row concerning the Second World War. As we learn … More The James D. Shipman Interview

Unreasonable Searches and Seizures

March 23, 2017

I took this snap on my way to the American Bar Association Magna Carta 800th year celebration in 2015. We remember the Magna Carta as the first curb on the power of the state in favor of ordinary men. After events in the past 24 hours however, I feel less free than ever. For most … More Unreasonable Searches and Seizures

Life’s Little Instruction Book

December 23, 2016

Instruction #85: Never encourage anyone to become a lawyer. … More Life’s Little Instruction Book