by Phyllis Jones, Speakin’ Out News, senior staff writer
As a high school graduate, Patrick Arrington knew where he wanted to attend college and he knew what his major would be. In 1985, the Montgomery native enrolled at Alabama A&M University and planned to major in Law. Unfortunately, his plans to major in Law were derailed because A&M did offer the traditional Pre-Law program at that time. So, since Arrington had an interest in television and radio, he decided to major in Telecommunications.
Arrington worked in both television and radio after he graduated from A&M. Even though he enjoyed what he was doing, he soon realized that his passion for law never left him. In 1992, Arrington decided to pursue his life-long dream of becoming an attorney and enrolled at Faulkner University (Montgomery, AL). After completing law school, the new attorney practiced law with a firm in Perry County, Alabama for two years. Then in 1999, he opened his own firm in Greensboro, Alabama.
The catalyst for Attorney Arrington to pursue his dream was the murder of his father, in 1989. Unfortunately, those responsible were never found. His thoughts were to become a prosecuting attorney, to keep someone from experiencing the pain he went through. Instead, he became a criminal defense attorney. He defends those who are wrongly accused and he defends the guilty, to make sure they get a fair trial.
Not only does Attorney Arrington spend his time standing before a judge and jury defending his clients, he also spends his time standing before a congregation each Sunday sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has been in the ministry for 15 years and has been pastoring for 10 years. “The calling to the law profession was easier to accept than the calling to the ministry”, joked Attorney Arrington.
After accepting the call to serve as pastor for St. James PB Church, Attorney Arrington believed that Huntsville would be the perfect location to expand his law firm. Approximately six months ago, The Law Offices of Patrick S. Arrington, LLC opened for business in the Rocket City. His practice is a general law practice that handles criminal defense cases, domestic relation cases (divorce and child custody), juvenile court cases and general civil cases (car accidents and workman compensation). Currently, the bulk of his cases are criminal defense cases and civil litigation cases are in a close second. He also assist churches with dispute resolutions, constitution and bylaws preparations, 501(c)3 setups and represent them in civil matters if needed. Attorney Arrington’s goal is to ultimately make Huntsville his main office. The office in Greensboro, which consists of another attorney and two support staff, will continue to provide service for that area.
For college students, who aspire to become attorneys, internship opportunities are available. Attorney Arrington shared, “Over the years, I have allowed college students to intern with my office, so they can get a feel if this is what they would like to do.” When asked about the internship success rate, he replied, “It was about 50/50. Some went on to become attorneys and others, for various reasons, chose not to become an attorney.”
Outside of the courtroom and on the other side of the pulpit, Attorney Arrington is a husband and a father. He and his wife, Tyise, are college sweethearts. They are the proud parents of two sons, Patrick II and Alexander, and one daughter, Tameria.
When asked what his ultimate goals were as an attorney, he replied. “First, I desire to inspire the next generation to keep moving forward and follow their dreams. Secondly, I want to be able to provide quality legal services to the citizens.”
Attorney Arrington was surprised to find that there is a shortage of African American attorneys that do general practice and family law, in Madison County. “I want the citizens of Madison County to know that they have an option. I want them to know that we care about them and desire to build relationships and not look at them as just another number or revenue source.”
If you need any legal counsel, contact Attorney Patrick Arrington at 256.701.8111 or email psalaw@bellsouth. net. He’s ready to help.