WILLIAM A. PATTERSON (Bill) was born in Jackson, Mississippi on April 14, 1955. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors from Mississippi State University in 1977, and his Doctor of Law from Emory University in 1980. Mr. Patterson served as Special Assistant Attorney General, 1981-83, and was Chief Legal Counsel for the Mississippi Department of Health, 1983-84. Mr. Patterson was selected to serve as a statewide mediator in a program administered by the Administrative Law Section of the Mississippi State Bar and the Mississippi Workers' Compensation Commission. He is currently a member of the Hinds County, the Mississippi and American Bar Associations, and the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association. Mr. Patterson's practice is one of general insurance defense in both state and federal courts, including civil rights cases, along with all matters before the Mississippi Workers' Compensation Commission, such as self-insured hearings and standard defense work.