Lawyers aren’t well loved. We aren’t particularly well liked. But, if we’re lucky, every now and then, we’ll cross paths with a truly great lawyer—someone who teaches us; someone who excels; someone who makes a difference. The legal community lost a great one this weekend. Sonya Patterson was sunshine personified. She loved her job. She loved her clients. And, she made me want to do good things. She fought for people who couldn’t afford her services, and she worked for far less than she was worth. Her confidence far exceeded her years of experience; and her years of experience fell short of her skill level. She was remarkable, and beautiful, and I wanted to be more like her.
I won’t miss daily lunches with her, because we weren’t those kind of friends. I won’t miss passing her in the hallway or seeing her on Friday nights. Those friends will miss her the most of all, and I’ve shed tears for their loss.
But today, the biggest loss of all is that future generations of young lawyers won’t hear her say, "I love my job!" Future lawyers won’t see her greet the poorest of clients with the same grace that she would show in greeting the president. And, those clients won’t see her reassuring smile across the table in court or hear it through the phone. The legal community has lost one of the best. I will miss her, and the world is a sadder place today with her passing.
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