Born and raised in San Antonio, Patrick Ballantyne began practicing law as a criminal defense attorney before serving as a prosecutor for the Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office for well over a decade. He has nearly two decades of experience practicing law.
As a prosecutor, Patrick specialized in the litigation of extraordinary and complex criminal and civil matters at both the trial and appellate levels. These included white-collar crime and public integrity prosecutions, criminal and civil appeals, pre-trial and post-conviction habeas corpus, mental health and civil commitment actions, parental rights terminations, officer-involved shooting investigations, and environmental crimes enforcement.
During his time as a prosecutor, Patrick tried scores of jury trials to verdict and handled over 100 appeals and post-conviction writs. Patrick capped his prosecutorial career at the District Attorney’s Office as Chief of the Conviction Integrity Unit, Chief of the Ethical Disclosures Unit, Chief of the Post-Conviction Writs Unit, and the Lead Prosecutorial Ethics Trainer for the office.
Patrick is dual certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Criminal Law and Criminal Appellate Law. Less than 1% of all Texas lawyers are certified in Criminal Law or Criminal Appeals and far fewer can claim to be certified in both. Board Certification is a mark of distinction extended to only a handful of attorneys who excel in their fields of practice and demonstrate expertise in their knowledge of the law.
Criminal Prosecutor (2008-2018) – Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office • Chief of the Conviction Integrity Unit • Chief of the Ethical Disclosures Unit • Lead Prosecutorial Ethics Trainer • Criminal and Civil Appeals • Public Integrity Investigation & Prosecution • White Collar Crimes • Mental Health & Civil Commitments • Parental Rights Terminations • Officer-Involved Shooting Team • Intoxicated Driver Prosecution
Criminal Defense Attorney (2005-2008) – Goldstein, Goldstein, & Hilley (San Antonio) • Extensive and diverse criminal defense practice, encompassing state and federal trials, appeals, habeas corpus, and asset forfeiture. • White collar, corporate, civil rights, U.S. Supreme Court, and death penalty representation