We’ve got some sad news to report out of California, where UC Berkeley’s chief counsel was killed this weekend in a hit-and-run crash while bicycling in Sonoma County.
Christopher Patti, 59, was a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, and had served as the school’s chief counsel since 2010. Prior to that, he worked at the University of California’s Office of the President for 20 years, where he handled complex litigation matters. According to police, Patti was taking a break on the side of the road to look at his phone when a driver lost control heading into a curve and struck him. The L.A. Now blog of the Los Angeles Times has some additional information:
After striking Patti, the [California Highway Patrol] said, the motorist drove off, then turned around and headed toward Guerneville.
Investigators have identified a person of interest in the case. Anyone with information about the crash is urged to call the CHP at (707) 588-1400.
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Chris M. Patti
Carol Christ, Chancellor of UC Berkeley, released this statement about Patti’s death: “He was an extraordinary colleague. He loved the university and he had a deep core of integrity that motivated everything he did. He was smart, he was compassionate. He was everything you wanted the counsel of the campus to be. We offer our sympathy to his family and his friends for this tragic loss.”
Charles Robinson, general counsel and vice president of legal affairs with the University of California, called Patti a “wonderful colleague and friend,” and described him as a man who “cared about people and doing the right thing.” Robinson said Patti was “an extraordinary lawyer to whom we all turned for advice and counsel,” and concluded by saying the “loss [was] unfathomable,”
We here at Above the Law would like to extend our condolences to Christopher Patti’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time. We hope that his killer is swiftly brought to justice.
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UC Berkeley’s chief counsel is killed in a hit-and-run crash in Sonoma County [L.A. Now / Los Angeles Times]
Staci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.