Diane Patrick

Diane Patrick

First Lady Diane Patrick has her own record of excellence and distinguished professional and public service. She is a lawyer, teacher, mother and active member of her community. After college graduation, Patrick spent five years teaching elementary school in New York City and then crossed the country to study at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. At Loyola, the First Lady began her study of labor and employment law, which she practices today. She received her Juris Doctor in 1980, and was admitted to the California Bar that same year.
Patrick joined the firm of O’Melveny and Myers in 1983, and was soon married to Mr. Deval Patrick in 1984. In 1986, a year after the birth of their first daughter Sarah, the Patrick family moved to Massachusetts. Over the next 10 years, Patrick held positions at Harvard as University attorney in the Office of General Counsel, and also as Harvard’s director and associate vice president for Human Resources. In 1994 Patrick took a job with the Washington D.C. firm Hogan and Hartson. The First Lady then returned to Boston and joined the law firm of Ropes & Gray. As a partner, she has been able to combine her passion for education and her background in labor and employment law.
Throughout her life and professional career, Patrick has dedicated herself to various communities, and currently serves on the boards of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, the Posse Foundation and Jane Doe, Inc. She has also served as a volunteer member of the Commonwealth’s Foster Care Review Unit, trustee and director for Arts Boston, trustee for the Brigham & Woman’s Hospital and overseer at Children’s Hospital Boston, among others.