As a founding partner of Doyle Dennis, Patrick has substantial involvement in the firm’s trial preparation and victories. The firm’s victories include many multi-million dollar jury verdicts obtained under the Jones Act, general maritime law, section 905(b), and admiralty law. Patrick’s offshore trial practice includes cases involving defective equipment, under-manning, negligent crane operations, poor maintenance, nonskid surfacing, ladder, and stair safety, failure to pay maintenance and cure, offshore explosions, poor vessel maintenance, negligent vessel construction, negligent use of crew transfer equipment/baskets, and various other kinds of Jones Act, LHWCA § 905(b), maritime law, and admiralty law cases.
In addition, Doyle Dennis is proud of its ability to represent offshore workers and seamen in cases brought in the United States that involve various types of international work. Patrick’s past experience includes assisting crewmembers with cases involving injuries offshore involving South East Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, England, Scotland, Russia, Greece, Panama, Mexico, Canada, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Brazil, New Zealand, Angola, South Africa, French Guiana, and the Marshall Islands, among others.
Biography
Patrick was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and is a proud graduate of The University of Houston, summa cum laude, and The University of Texas School of Law, with honors.
As a native of the Gulf coast, Patrick has seen the importance of the offshore, maritime, and oil and gas industries to the Texas, Louisiana, Gulf Coast, and United States economy. He grew up with family members and friends who worked offshore on rigs, drill ships, jack-ups, tow boats, tugboats, crew boats, barges, cargo ships, bulk carriers, container vessels, tankers, seismic vessels, and other offshore ships.
These years of experience have helped Patrick to recognize the importance of following safety rules and industry standards in offshore and maritime work. Patrick has approximately two decades of experience in representing crewmembers, Jones Act seaman, Longshoremen, and offshore/maritime workers involving cases, clients, and incidents in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, California, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, South Carolina, Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming, Arizona, Nevada, and various other states and United States territories, like Puerto Rico.
Bar Admissions
- Texas, 2004
- Arizona, September 2012
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court Western District of Texas
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas
EDUCATION
- The University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas
- J.D.
- Honors: Graduated with Honors
- Law Journal: The Review of Litigation, Staff Member
- University of Houston, Houston
- B.S.
- Honors: Summa Cum Laude
- Major: Political Science
Published Works
Fraternities/Sororities
Classes/Seminars
- “Insurance Bad Faith: Into the Heart of Darkness”, Texas Advanced Personal Injury Law Course 2011, State Bar of Texas, September 15, 2011, and November 3, 2011
- “Insurance Bad Faith Case Law Update”, Workers’ Compensation New Legislation and Case Law Update Seminar, Workers’ Comp Publications and Rogers, Booker and Lewis, P.C., July 24, 2009
- “Insurance Bad Faith”, Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) Conference, The Center for Injured Workers, Inc., August 14, 2009
- “Damages from the Plaintiff’s Perspective”, Trucking Litigation and D.O.T. Regulations Seminar, Lorman, December 13, 2008
- “Damages Available in Trucking Litigation Personal Injury Actions”, Trucking Litigation and D.O.T. Regulations in Texas Seminar, Lorman, December 13, 2007
- Contribution and Indemnity, the University of Houston Advanced Civil Litigation Course, 2005
Honors and Awards
- Super Lawyers, Texas Rising Star, a Thomson Reuters business, 2009 – 2019
- Texas Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, 2020-2021
- Included in H Texas magazine’s “Houston’s Top Lawyers” in the area of Maritime Law, 2011, 2012, 2013
Awards/Qualifications
- Avvo
- Super Lawyers
- Houstonia magazine
- H Texas Magazine
VICTORIES
$7.86 Million
Gillies V. Valaris PLC
On January 12, 2022, Doyle Dennis Avery LLP secured a $7.86 million verdict on behalf of Gordon Gillies, a drill ship operations adviser, who was injured while working on a vessel in the Gulf of Mexico.
$1.22 Million
Hamilton V. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company
$1.22 million (Attorneys’ Fees: $400,000; Litigation Expenses: $47,276.54; injury – operated lumbar spine injuries).
$2.16 MILLION
Pace V. Houston Helicopters, Inc.
$2.16 million (Attorneys Fees: $820,000; Expenses: $117,502.70; injury – lumbar injuries requiring surgery
$2.14 Million
Pike V. SeaRiver Maritime, Inc.
$2.56 million (Reduced on appeal to $2,141,716.75 – Attorneys Fees: $936,772.52; Expenses: $77,625.97
$1.75 Million
Roberts V. Rigdon Marine
$1.5 million, increased to $1,752,767.44 with interest (Attorneys Fees: $788,745.35; Expenses $49,603.52;
$1.6 Million
Darold Burch V. Westerngeco Resources
$1.6 million (Attorneys Fees: $472,500; Expenses $61,135.03; injury – cervical injuries requiring surgery
NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED HOUSTON MARITIME LAWYERS
