Patice is an attorney with a diverse litigation practice and experience. She is licensed to practice law in Virginia, Florida, and in the District of Columbia.  Patice focuses primarily on employment litigation defense, employment investigations, transportation law (FELA, SAA, LIA), general civil and commercial litigation, commercial and residential landlord-tenant litigation, and insurance defense. Patice is also the Chair of the firm’s E‑Discovery Practice Group.

She has extensive experience litigating cases in state and federal courts as well as in mediation. Through her litigation experience, Patice has garnered extensive knowledge in defending witness and document subpoenas and FOIA requests. As Chair of the firm’s E-Discovery Practice Group, Patice advises clients on all aspects of E-discovery, including litigation holds, custodial interviews/data collection and preservation, and review and production of electronically stored information (ESI).  Patice has been involved in extensive discovery matters in complex litigation in both state and federal courts.

Patice is a member of The National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 list. In 2021, she was named to the list Best Lawyers in America© for Insurance Law, Litigation – Labor & Employment, and Railroad Law. In 2019, she was named as an inaugural member of the Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2019 Influential Women of Law. She was the Roanoke Bar Association’s Young Lawyer of the Year for 2016 and also that year, was named an inaugural member of the Virginia Lawyers Weekly Up and Coming Attorneys. Virginia Super Lawyers selected her as a “Rising Star” in 2015 through 2021, consecutively. In 2018, she received the Drum Major for Justice Award from the Roanoke Valley chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 2014, she was awarded the Rev. F.E. Alexander Award for Excellence in Business by the Roanoke Chapter of the Urban Professional League.

In the community, Roanoke City Council appointed Patice as a Board Member of the Economic Empowerment and Advisory Board and serves as Chair of the EEAB’s Trust Committee. She also serves as a board member of Apple Ridge Farm and Ivies Incorporated of Roanoke Valley. Patice is a member of the Beta Chi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and is an active member of her church, Loudon Avenue Christian Church. She serves on the Black Disciples Endowment Fund and the Week of Compassion, both national ministry boards of the Disciples of Christ Church.

Thought Leadership

Published Articles

Subconscious Thoughts and Their Impact on the Workplace, Lynchburg Business, November/December 2018

The Big Yellow Taxi Has a New Look, Lynchburg Business, June 2015

Teaching Engagements

Civil Rights Law Seminar – W&L Law – Fall 2018

Seminars/Webinars

Lorman Landlord Tenant Seminars

Lorman Employment Law Seminars

Representative Cases

Employment/Internal Investigations

  • Represent companies, government contractors, and school boards in internal investigation of and litigation arising from former executives’ alleged breaches of fiduciary duty.
  • Led internal investigation of a national company into discrimination claims by high-ranking executives.

Employment Litigation Defense

  • Leonard v. Electro-Mechanical Corp., 2014 WL 2769125 (W.D.Va. 2014)
  • McBeth v. Shearer’s Foods, Inc., 2014 WL 883981 (W.D.Va. 2014)
  • Arthur v. Pet Dairy, 2013 WL 6228732 (W.D.Va. 2013)
  • Arthur v. Pet Dairy, 2013 WL 6073465 (W.D.Va. 2013)

ERISA

  • McCall v. American Elec. Power System Long Term Disability Plan, 2012 WL 2236669 (W.D.Va. 2012)

Eminent Domain

  • Lamar Co., LLC v. City of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority, 2011 WL 8964506 (Va. Cir. Ct. 2011)

False Claims Act

  • S. v. Armet Armored Vehicles, Inc., 2014 WL 7045008 (W.D.Va. 2014)
  • Skinner v. Armet Armored Vehicles, Inc., 2014 WL 4243670 (W.D.Va. 2014)

Transportation

  • Hollingsworth v. Norfolk Southern Ry. Co., 2010 S.E.2d 651 (Va. 2010)

Insurance Defense

  • Cook v. John Hancock Life Ins. Co. (U.S.A.), 2013 WL 942384 (W.D.Va. 2013)

Intellectual Property (Trademark Litigation)

  • Free Bridge Auto Sales, Inc. v. Focus, Inc., 2014 WL 521661 (W.D.Va. 2014)

Attorney Perspectives

Speaking Engagements

  • 47th Annual Advanced Business Law Conference 2021 - Virginia CLE | Valuing Diversity and Recognizing Implicit Bias
    September 24, 2021
  • Lynchburg SHRM | How an Employment Lawsuit Works
    April 8, 2021
  • Virginia School Boards Association | Implicit Bias, Diversity and Inclusion
    November 19, 2020
  • Virginia School Boards Association School Law Conference | Implicit Bias Training
    June 5, 2020
  • IPMA-HR Virginia Chapter Regional Workshop | Strengthening Your Supervisory Skills in Employment Law
    October 16, 2019
  • Richmond SHRM | HR on Mock Trial: Romance Gone Wrong (Allegedly)
    September 19, 2019
  • International Public Management Association for HR – Virginia Chapter | Hot Topics in Your Employee Handbook
    March 12, 2019
  • International Public Management Association for HR – Virginia Chapter | Discrimination & Harassment in the #MeToo Era
    March 12, 2019
  • Virginia Women's Conference | Valuing Diversity and Recognizing Implicit Bias
    November 17, 2018
  • Richmond SHRM | HR on (Mock) Trial: Racial Discrimination
    September 20, 2018

Seminars + Events

  • 40th Annual Labor & Employment Webinar Series
    October 7 – November 4, 2021
  • HR LifeLine: 2020 Labor & Employment Webinar Series
    Every Thursday in October, 2020
  • 2019 Labor and Employment Seminar Series
    October 2 - November 5, 2019
  • 37th Annual Labor & Employment Seminar Series
    September 20 - October 17, 2018

Recognition