Patrick O. Dorsey

Patrick litigates business disputes and government-facing matters at trial and on appeal in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and nationally. He helps clients navigate sensitive commercial and reputational challenges, including enforcement exposure, compliance challenges, regulatory issues, administrative law and agency actions, and incident response. 

Before joining Williams Mullen, Patrick practiced for nine years at two national Am Law 100 firms and clerked for a federal judge in Washington, D.C. He served at the Department of Justice and the Department of State and worked for several years before law school at Lockheed Martin for an agency of the Department of Defense. 

Patrick draws on this experience to counsel state and local governments, educational institutions, companies, and property owners on administrative and statutory issues, governance and compliance, and internal investigations. 

Patrick’s commercial litigation practice encompasses breach of contract, business tort, fraud, consumer claims, antitrust, and other civil matters. He often represents government contractors in investigations and litigation arising from compliance issues, teaming agreements, statements of work, and workshare agreements. He helped lead the defense of nationwide MDL proceedings and class actions implicating pricing, advertising, and manufacturing practices.  Patrick’s clients range from individuals and small businesses to middle-market companies and Fortune 20 corporations. He has represented clients in industries including professional services, real estate, utilities, defense, financial services, technology, insurance, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods.

This experience spans all phases of litigation. Patrick assesses risk and negotiates discreet, business-focused resolutions. He briefs and argues critical motions and has obtained dismissal and summary judgment on issues of first impression. He manages fact and expert discovery and, when necessary, takes cases to trial. Patrick’s appellate work includes an en banc victory in the Eighth Circuit and appeals addressing constitutional and statutory issues in the Second, Fourth, Seventh, and D.C. Circuits. 

Patrick earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as president of the Student Legal Forum and executive editor of the Virginia Journal of International Law. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, with high distinction, from the University of Virginia.