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Tyson & Mendes is growing in the Bay Area. For our May spotlight, we introduce Patricia Kantor Conway – the newest partner in Tyson & Mendes’ Northern California office. Patricia recently made a lateral move to the firm from her position as partner at Vasquez Estrada & Conway LLP, where she worked for the last 18 years. An experienced litigator practicing civil litigation in the Bay Area since 1996, Patricia’s practice focuses on defense of construction, toxic tort, environmental and premises liability actions, representing manufacturer and contractor defendants in California state courts and various federal courts. Learn more about Patricia, including her Czechoslovakian roots and passion for giving back, below.

T&M: Tell us a bit about your legal background?
PKC: I have been working as an insurance defense lawyer since I graduated law school in 1996. I was thrown into the trenches in my first job, taking a plaintiff’s deposition in an auto accident case the first day after my bar results were posted (fortunately, I passed!). In addition to personal injury cases, I also worked on construction defect, products liability, premises liability, and asbestos cases. I was very fortunate to be given responsibility for my cases and direct access to clients. I had such an intensive hands-on experience – taking depositions, writing and arguing motions, communicating with clients – that in my second year of practice I was hired by another firm to manage a new client and oversee a large caseload. I met the new client shortly thereafter and that relationship led to my elevation to partner in just my fourth year of practice. I continued to manage their cases, and five years ago, I was appointed National Coordinating Counsel (NCC) by the insurance carrier to oversee nationwide asbestos litigation.

T&M: What drew you to Tyson & Mendes?
PKC: When my now partner, Jim Sell, approached me, I was immediately drawn by the growth of the firm and the diversity of its practice areas. What sold me was when he told me that when recruiting, what mattered most at Tyson & Mendes was the quality of the person.