Ms. Patrice Baumann McKinney

Patrice McKinney grew up on a farm in West Texas and drove a John Deere tractor until she was 18 years old. She understands and appreciates the value of hard work, dedication and perseverance. Patrice has an M.A. in English, an M.S. in Sports Health, and a J.D. in law. She has diverse professional experience as a former English teacher and university instructor, and she is very well respected in her community. She has participated in Leadership Houston, Leadership Texas, Leadership America, American Leadership Forum, and the Center for Houston's Future. With her varied educational training and employment background, Patrice brings a unique perspective to the trial team. As a teacher, she knows the value of developing and utilizing appropriate demonstrative evidence and aids to convince a jury to do the right thing. Her communication skills are dually fitted for comforting clients as well as helping a jury or judge understand all realms of a case. Her experience in the Sports Health field helps her understand and thereby better present the medical aspects of the injured worker’s case. Patrice earned her B.A. from the University of Houston, a M.A. from Abilene Christian University, and a M.S. from Texas Tech University. She then received her J.D. from the South Texas College of Law. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the College of the State Bar of Texas, the Houston Bar Association, and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Further, she is involved with the Houston Trial Lawyers Association, the HTLA Women's Caucus and the HTLA 7th Amendment PAC, Texas Women Lawyers, the Association of Women Attorneys, the American Association of Justice, The National Trial Lawyers Association, and the Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys.Patrice has also devoted a great deal of time to helping impoverished children. She is a co-founder and Secretary of the Board for the Youth Development Center (YDC), a nonprofit organization that offers an afterschool literacy program to children living in Houston’s most impoverished neighborhoods. For over 20 years, she served as chair and co-chair of the Fall Impact Carnival, an annual carnival for inner-city children. Every summer for the past 20 years, Patrice has ridden her bicycle several hundred miles in one week to raise money for the YDC. In the summer of 2010, for instance, she rode 500 miles in five days and raised over $35,000. For 15 years, she participated in the annual musical production, Night Court, the proceeds of which go to a variety of local legal-related charities. She is the former President of the Board for Night Court, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. She also serves on the HSPVA Advisory Board, the HTLA Board of Directors and HTLA 7th Amendment PAC Board, the Theater Under the Stars (TUTS) Board of Directors, and the Harris County Protective Services for Children and Adults Board of Directors. She is on the Teaching Faculty for the Keenan Trial Institute Women's Summit. Patrice prides herself in representing hard-working people who have been severely injured by the negligence of others. She is particularly accomplished in FELA (The Federal Employers’ Liability Act) claims that provide compensation to railroad employees who are injured on the job. Her perseverance and work ethic allow her to collect substantial awards and settlements for the firm’s clients year after year. Patrice brings her experience, knowledge, drive, and dedication to every client’s case, and she is proud to be part of a proven, successful trial team.