C. Cary Patterson (with Lois)
March 5, 2001 Texas attorney C. Cary Patterson is known among Democrats as a good friend to have come election time. In 1996, his law firm of Nix, Patterson & Roach was the second-largest contributor among practices that gave to the party. Last year, Patterson personally raised $500,000 -- in addition to his own campaign contributions -- for a gala thrown by the Democratic National Committee on May 24. In return for their support, according to the Washington Post, contributors were wined and dined at a "private dinner with the president and the vice president" the night before the gala. Patterson has made much of his wealth by suing major corporations. He was involved in the $17 billion lawsuit against Big Tobacco in Texas, and called upon Democratic friends to help push the companies to settle before trial. In a case pending in federal court in Miami, he has also sued powerful HMOs such as Cigna, Foundation Health Systems, and Prudential Insurance, accusing the companies of limiting care on the basis of cost rather than medical necessity. When not taking on lucrative class-action suits, Patterson's firm does pro bono work for low-income clients and service organizations such as homeless shelters and women's centers. "Anyone who needed legal assistance and did not have the money to pay for the services would go over to Mr. Nix's," explains Dorman Brumbelow, pro bono litigation coordinator for East Texas Legal Services in Nacogdoches. In 1998, the law firm won the W. Frank Newton Award from the Texas Bar for outstanding contributions in providing legal services to the poor. -- Jennifer Karlin | | |
