Patrick received his J.D. Degree from Rutgers Law School in Newark in January of 1982. While attending law school, he was appointed to the Rutgers Moot Court Board. Thereafter, he served as Judicial Clerkship with the Honorable John E. Bachman in Superior Court, Middlesex County in New Brunswick.
In 1983, he was appointed Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey. He concentrated on civil litigation with much of the caseload dealing with injury and constitutional cases. He also provided representation to the N.J. Judiciary, N.J. Department of Human Services, N.J. Department of Corrections, Department of Transportation, N.J. Transit Rail and Bus Operations, and other State agencies and employees in civil jury trials in both the State and Federal Court systems. The position required handling civil rights trials, including Section 1983 actions, as well as civil service appeals.