Patrick Short

Board Certified by Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial and Criminal Law. Patrick Short is a trial lawyer based in Rockwall County, Texas, the county east of Dallas County with over 40 years of experience representing clients in East and North Texas in personal injury, wrongful death, criminal defense, and selected civil litigation matters. Patrick is Board Certified in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and in Criminal Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is also Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Patrick is one of 4 lawyers in the State of Texas that are double Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in both Personal Injury Trial Law and Criminal Law. Patrick is an Adjunct Professor at Baylor Law School. Patrick has been selected as a Texas Super Lawyer every year since 2006 in addition to his invitation-only selection of the American Trial Lawyers Association’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers in 2009 and 2011. He has been selected to the invitation-only Best Attorneys of America. Patrick is admitted to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas, as well as Texas state courts. He earned his J.D. (Juris Doctorate) from California Western Law School in 1982 and his B.A. in psychology from Baylor University in 1979. He graduated from the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College in Dubois, Wyoming in July 2009. Patrick served four two-year terms (2009-2017) on the McLendon-Chisholm City Council, Place 3. A Spanish-speaker, he served as interim Hispanic pastor from 2004 to 2007 at Lake Pointe Church, where he and his wife have remained members since 1985. Prior to starting his own law firm, Patrick served as the Assistant Criminal District Attorney in Rockwall County, Texas from 1985 to 1986.

• Dog Bite Cases
• Expunction of Criminal Record
• Nondisclosure of Criminal Record
• Sealing of Record
• Drug Charges

• Free Consultation
  I give a fee consultation either over the phone or in person. Typically, I can do this in no more than 15 minutes. I think it’s important to have an honest discussion about what you are facing as a client. What I think the initial legal issues are and whether I’m the right lawyer for you. Call me.
• Credit Cards Accepted
  All Major Credit Cards
• Contingent Fees
  I do a contingent fee agreement with clients involving personal injury cases. Depending on the type of case, the complexity of the legal issues, the time involved, coupled with my over 33 years of experience, I structure the contingent fee to fit your case. Typically, that fee ranges from 35% prior to suit being filed, 40%+ after suit is filed through mediation and/or trial. If I accept your case, then I typically advance the expenses to bring your case and I am reimbursed the cost of those expenses once the case is resolved. There are times clients wish to participate in paying for their own expenses of litigation. In that event, I consider reducing my legal fee percentage based on the case. The expenses are taken out of the total recovery. Your portion of recovery is the amount after legal fees and the costs of cases expenses are paid to me. I take the risk. If we lose, you do not pay me anything for expenses or legal fees. Call me, let’s talk about your personal injury case.
• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  Often in criminal cases, I will charge a flat fee based on the stage of the case and what it is you think you want to accomplish in your criminal case. Call me on your criminal matter and we can talk about it. On occasion, I will do a case on an hourly fee arrangement. Depending on the case, the situation, and your ability to fund representation, we can discuss this. Typically this is done in business litigation cases. Call me; we can talk about an hourly rate arrangement and your case.

Texas

Since 1984

5th Circuit

Since 1989

Federal Circuit

Since 2004

U.S. Supreme Court

Since 1989

Rockwall County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association

Current

Trial Lawyer

Law Firm of Patrick Short

1993 - Current

Representing people in plaintiffs' personal injury cases as well as criminal cases. Also will represent business matters when clients' need a trial lawyer to represent them.

Trial Lawyer, Partner

Woodall, Short & Reed

1989 - 1993

Trial Lawyer, Partner

Woodall & Westerbeck

1987 - 1989

Trial Lawyer

Law Office of Patrick Westerbeck

1986 - 1987

Representing peoples in personal injury and criminal matters.

First Assistant District Attorney

Rockwall County Criminal District Attorney's Office

1985 - 1986

Prosecuted Felony and Misdemeanor cases.

Trial Lawyers College

Trial Lawyers College Graduate (2009) | Jury Trials and the 7th Amendment

2009 - 2009

The study and application of being human when presenting your clients' case to a jury.

California Western School of Law

J.D. (1982) | Law

1979 - 1982

Honors: National Mock Trial Team

Baylor University

B.A. (1979) | Psychology

1976 - 1979

State Bar of Texas  # 21216900

Member

Current

Your Life on Trial, Evidence and Others: A Life of Success, McKinney, Collin County, Texas

Collin County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association

Your Life on Trial, Evidence and Others: A Life of Success, McKinney, Collin County, Texas

February 4, 2016

Collin County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association

Your Life on Trial, Evidence and Others: A Life of Success, McKinney, Collin County, Texas

February 4, 2016

Collin County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association

Personal Injury Trial Law

Texas Board Of Legal Specialization

Criminal Law

Texas Board Of Legal Specialization

Criminal Law

Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy