Chris Patton is a trial specialist with 70 civil jury trials to verdict. He is the lead trial attorney and managing attorney of the Southern California operations of McDowell Shaw Garcia & Patton. For more than 20 years Mr. Patton has specialized in Special Investigation Unit (SIU) litigation. He has tried more than 40 SIU trials. He was the prevailing party in 38 of the 40 SIU trials securing defense verdicts in a vast majority.
Mr. Patton has also tried more than 30 catastrophic injury jury trials including claims of loss of a limb, Traumatic Brain Injuries, and more than 20 fusion cases. Mr. Patton has tried approximately 40 cases with a demand of more than $1,000,000 and 20 with demands more than $5,000,000.
Mr. Patton was featured in the California Lawyer as “Top Defense Verdicts of 2018.” Mr. Patton was also nominated for two jury trials as “Top Defense Verdicts of 2018” by the Daily Journal.
Mr. Patton has practiced law since 1997. He received his B.A. in Speech Communications from Pepperdine University in 1992 where he attended on a full tuition Speech and Debate scholarship. While at Pepperdine he won dozens of speech and debate awards including the National Championship in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. After graduation, Mr. Patton coached speech and debate at Pepperdine University and Calabasas High School, and coached and judged at the College and High School National Championships. Mr. Patton spent a year of law school at Oxford University (Magdalen College) pursuing studies in International Litigation and Arbitration. Mr. Patton moved on to Loyola Law School in Los Angeles where he continued his training as a trial advocate. Mr. Patton won the Scott Moot Court Competition, was a member of the Bryne Trial Advocacy Team and was named the third place advocate at the Phillip Jessup International Moot Court Competition. Mr. Patton worked for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office while in Law School and conducted over 60 preliminary hearings and four jury trials before graduation. Mr. Patton was awarded the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award and had the honor of being the graduation speaker for the Loyola Law School Graduating Class of 1997.
After graduation, Mr. Patton worked on the multi-billion dollar Qui Tam case of United States of America, ex rel. Boisvart v. FMC Corp. concerning the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The case had more than 2,000,000 pages of defense exhibits, and took four months to try. Mr. Patton then went to Washington DC to work with the Law Firm of Jones Day on the post-trial motions.
Mr. Patton has represented automobile manufacturers, law enforcement departments, and insurance companies. Mr. Patton has handled construction defect, medical malpractice and breach of contract cases. His practice focuses primarily on the defense of personal injury lawsuits and assisting insurance companies in their SIU litigation. Mr. Patton is licensed to practice in the state and federal courts in the State of California and is a member of the Northern California Fraud Investigators Association, the Anti-Fraud Alliance, National Institute of Trial Advocates and International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Mr. Patton has also provided training to insurance companies regarding third party litigation and investigation of SIU matters. Mr. Patton has conducted more than 100 arbitrations. He has taken more than 1,500 depositions and more than 300 expert depositions.
Practices
Civil Litigation and Trials
First and Third Party SIU Investigations
Examinations Under Oath
Education
Pepperdine University, B.A. 1992
Oxford University, Magdalen College, 1995
Loyola Law School, J.D. 1997
Ontario Office
