Wendy L. Patrick

Law School
California Western School of Law

Major Cases
Patrick has prosecuted years worth of high-profile cases that have drawn a significant amount of media attention. These have included complex co-defendant violent assaultive crimes, several of which she tried to two jury panels simultaneously. She has prosecuted murder cases involving disturbing methods of execution and dueling psychiatric experts, cyberstalkers and child molesters who were previously respected as pillars of the community.

Professional Background
Patrick started her career as a criminal defense attorney before joining the District Attorney's Office. She has completed more than 150 trials, including roughly 100 jury trials ranging from hate crimes to domestic violence, to first-degree murder. In her current assignment in the Special Operations Division she handles cases involving sensitive issues, including threat assessment. She is also president of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals San Diego Chapter. In her previous assignment in the Sex Crimes and Human Trafficking Division, Patrick prosecuted sex offenders, human traffickers and sexually violent predators.

Professional Affiliations
Patrick is past chairwoman of the California State Bar Ethics Committee, past chairwoman of the San Diego County Bar Association’s Legal Ethics Committee, sits on the Executive Committee of the California State Bar Criminal Law Section, and is a Master and team leader in the Louis M. Welsh American Inn of Court. She moonlights teaching upper-division business ethics at San Diego State University and regularly guest lectures at other educational institutions. She teaches ethics, as well as trial skills around the country on a regular basis to a variety of legal and business organizations.

Personal Affiliations
Regarding her true passion in life, Patrick has a Ph.D. in theology from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and a master of divinity degree summa cum laude from Bethel Seminary San Diego, where she was awarded the Excellence in Preaching Award and the Zondervan Biblical Languages Award. Active in ministry, she is ordained through Converge Worldwide (Baptist General Conference).

Patrick has just released her third book, Red Flags: How to Spot Frenemies, Underminers, and Other Toxic People in Every Area of Your Life (St. Martin´s Press). She is co-author of the revised version of the New York Times bestseller Reading People (Random House).

Personal Background
One of Patrick’s passions is exploring the world with her family. Some of their favorite escapades have included “summer vacations” in Antarctica, Iceland, Greenland and the North Pole. She is also passionate about Christianity and pursuing a better life. This is a commitment shared by her family, including her sister Jennifer Patrick, an attorney specializing in religious freedoms law, business and corporate law. In her spare time, Patrick holds a purple belt in Shorin-Ryu karate, is a concert violinist with the La Jolla Symphony and plays the electric violin professionally with a rock band.