About Patrick
Patrick Short is a trial lawyer who has spent decades in courtrooms across Texas and before federal tribunals. He began his legal studies after earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and went on to law school, then returned to intensive trial training later in his career. His work centers on contested cases that reach jury trial.
Short earned a B.A. in Psychology from Baylor University (1979) and a J.D. from California Western School of Law (1982). He later completed training at the Trial Lawyers College, graduating from its program on jury trials and the Seventh Amendment in 2009. The combination of traditional legal education and hands-on trial training informs his approach at trial.
His early career included a public-sector role as First Assistant District Lawyer at the Rockwall County Criminal District Lawyer's Office in 1985. That position placed him on the prosecutorial side of criminal matters and gave him an early view of courtroom procedure and case preparation. Within a few years he moved into trial practice in private settings, taking on roles that emphasized litigation and client representation.
From 1986 through the early 1990s Short worked in successive trial positions: at the Law Office of Patrick Westerbeck in 1986, as a partner at Woodall & Westerbeck in 1987, and as a partner at Woodall, Short & Reed beginning in 1989. He opened his own practice in 1993 under the name Law Office of Patrick Short. Those years included both defense and civil trial work and steady involvement in contested cases that proceeded to jury verdicts.
Short is board certified in Personal Injury Trial Law and in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He also holds board certification in Criminal Law from the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is admitted to practice in Texas and has appeared in federal courts including the U.S. Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit and the Federal Circuit. Locally, he has been connected with the Rockwall County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
Courtroom experience is a recurring theme in Short’s record. He has pursued training aimed at jury trials and the Seventh Amendment and has spent much of his career taking cases to verdict rather than resolving every matter short of trial. He continues to handle criminal defense and personal injury matters in his current practice.
