Judge Patricia H. Clark: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. Patricia H. Clark (deceased) served as a judge for the King County Superior Court in Washington. Clark was elected to the bench in 1998. She retired in 2013.

Prior to her election, Clark sat as a commissioner for the King County Superior Court, a position to which she was named in 1996. She spent the next two years handling cases involving at-risk youth and children in need of services. Before that, Clark taught at the Seattle University Law Clinic.

Clark earned a master’s degree in public health and a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law in 1987. After graduating from law school, she began her legal career as an attorney in private practice.

However, her time in private practice would be brief. Shortly after, she joined the Criminal Division of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. During her tenure there, she developed an expertise in Struck Jury Selection Method, rising through the ranks to become a senior deputy prosecuting attorney.

Her memberships included the Gender and Justice Commission and the Minority and Justice Commission. She also sat on the Education Committee and the Family & Juvenile Law Committee of the Superior Court Judges Association, the Girl Scout Totem Council, and the Municipal Golf of Seattle Board.

Clark was born in Greenville, South Carolina. She passed away on November 7, 2015.