Well-known local attorney Nick Patton dies at 80

TEXARKANA - Texarkana lawyer Nicholas "Nick" Patton died Saturday.

Patton, 80, grew up in Lewisville, Ark., and practiced law for decades in Texarkana after acquiring his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Arkansas. Patton also taught in the law school where he earned his law degree in 1963.

"He was a lawyer's lawyer," said retired U.S. District Judge David Folsom, who partnered and practiced law with Patton for almost 20 years and who now practices with the Jackson Walker firm. "He had one of the greatest legal minds I've seen throughout my career."

Folsom remembered Patton keeping students "on the edges of their seats" when he spoke to a class Folsom taught at Arkansas High School.

"He was a great storyteller," Folsom said. "Judges and other lawyers loved him. He was old-school, professional and courteous to everyone."

U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder III partnered with Patton in the years before he was appointed to the federal bench in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas following Folsom's retirement.

"He was one of the best. His reputation as a trial lawyer in our part of the world was unmatched," Schroeder said. "I consider myself lucky to have had an opportunity to work with him, and I'll miss him very much."

Texarkana lawyer Damon Young, who also partnered with Patton during his career, described his friend as "innovative, clever and capable."

"He would surprise you with the ideas he'd have in his civil cases," Young said. "I treasure the time I spent with him."

Patton's practice focused on civil matters, particularly product liability.

Young said Patton tried cases involving faulty tires, unsafe all-terrain vehicles and compact cars that could explode during crashes. Young spoke of a case involving four-wheelers that led Patton to bring the model at issue into the courtroom, showing how easily it could flip in front of a jury.

The jury in that case never rendered a verdict as the defendants elected to settle the case mid-trial, Young said.

"We were young lawyers then and those were fun times for us," Young said.

Like Young, Willis B. Smith remembered attending law school at the same time as Patton. Smith said Patton was a remarkable friend who helped care for his wife and week-old newborn when Smith had to undergo medical treatment.

"He was just always a friend I could count on," Smith said. "He was a man who did things his own way, but it was usually the right way."

Texarkana doctor Billy Tompkins said he and Patton became friends immediately after Tompkins' partner, who was in surgery, called and asked him to remove a fishbone lodged in Patton's throat.

"We were great friends from that day forward," Tompkins said. "He was just the epitome of a caring lawyer. He really cared about the people he represented."

Tompkins, who would occasionally go to court to watch his friend at work, described Patton as a "courtroom genius."

Geoffery Culbertson, who practiced with Patton, said he is "incredibly fortunate" to have known Patton.

"Nick was just an extraordinary person," Culbertson said. "So generous and so fearless."

Texarkana lawyer David Carter said Patton was a great mentor to younger lawyers and that trying a case with him was a privilege.

"His word was his bond and he never lost sight of how important it was to do the right thing," Carter said. "Nick was an outstanding lawyer."

Texarkana lawyer Kelly Tidwell, who also partnered with Patton, said what "amazed" him about Patton was his ability to work with anyone.

"He could represent the man on the street with the smallest of claims and then the next day represent a Fortune 500 Company and both would feel like he was their kind of lawyer," Tidwell said. "Every lawyer you talk to will say he was one of the greatest trial lawyers in this community ever - and he was."

Upcoming Events