William A. Patterson
Practice Areas:
Jackson Office
One LeFleur's Square
4735 Old Canton Road
Suite 108
Jackson, MS 39211
P.O. Box 13429
Jackson, MS 39236-3429
Phone: 601-366-4343
Fax: 601-981-7608
William A. Patterson
WILLIAM A. PATTERSON (Bill) was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1955. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors from Mississippi State University in 1977, and his Doctor of Law from Emory University in 1980. Mr. Patterson served as Special Assistant Attorney General, 1981-83, and was Chief Legal Counsel for the Mississippi Department of Health, 1983-84. Mr. Patterson was selected to serve as a statewide mediator in a program administered by the Administrative Law Section of the Mississippi State Bar and the Mississippi Workers' Compensation Commission. He is currently a member of the Hinds County, the Mississippi and American Bar Associations, and the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association. Mr. Patterson's practice is one of general insurance defense in both state and federal courts, including civil rights cases, along with all matters before the Mississippi Workers' Compensation Commission, such as self-insured hearings and standard defense work.
Current Employment Position(s):
- Shareholder
Year Joined Organization:
- 1984
Litigation Percentage:
- 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Bar Admissions:
- Mississippi, 1982
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1982
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Mississippi, 1982
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Mississippi, 1982
Education:
- Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, Georgia, 1980
- Doctor of Law
- Mississippi State University, 1977
- Bachelor of Arts
- Honors: With Highest Honors
Professional Associations and Memberships:
- Mississippi State Bar, Administrative Law Section
- Statewide Mediator, Program Administered
- Mississippi Workers' Compensation Commission
- Statewide Mediator, Program Administered
- Capitol Bar Association
- Mississippi Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association
Past Employment Positions:
- Mississippi Department of Health, Special Assistant Attorney General, 1981 - 1983
- Mississippi Department of Health, Chief Legal Counsel, 1983 - 1984
Recent Trial Decisions:
Jones v. NL Industries, United States District Court, Civil Action No. 4:03cv229-M-B
Bill Patterson and Robert Stephenson defended this lead paint lawsuit brought on behalf of 14 minors seeking approximately $28,000,000 in itemized damages. After a three week trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the defendants as to all plaintiffs. The district court thereafter denied the plaintiffs’ motion for new trial, and the Fifth Circuit affirmed this decision.
Summary Judgments:
Bishop v. Alfa, United States District Court (June, 2011)
Bill Patterson was granted summary judgment for his client, Alfa Insurance Corporation, by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi based on exclusions in the homeowners’ policies for damage caused by Chinese drywall. Alfa Mutual was sued after denying coverage under its homeowners’ policies for damage to a residence that had been built with Chinese drywall. Mr. Patterson argued in his respective motion that no coverage was afforded under the policies because of policy exclusions for “latent defect,” “inherent vice,” “faulty materials,” “contamination” and “corrosion.”