he attended classes at night while working full time. Patrick's prior
experience was as an Information Technology professional, helping
business groups improve office efficiency and accountability. During his final
year of law school, Patrick worked as a law clerk in the Alexandria
Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, prosecuting cases with his third year
practitioner's certificate. Patrick's goal in attending law school was to
become a career criminal prosecutor and make a difference in his
community.
Upon graduating from law school, Patrick clerked for the Honorable
Leslie Alden in the Fairfax County Circuit Court. As a clerk, Patrick was
able to observe the inner-workings of the Fairfax County Court system.
His experience also led him to gain an understanding of the problems
with the administration of Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney's
Office and how criminal cases are prosecuted. After working in Alexandria,
where cases were successfully prosecuted to their fullest extent,
Patrick was disappointed in the number of serious cases routinely dismissed
or broken down to lesser offenses in order to gain a plea. This
strengthened Patrick's desire to become a prosecutor so that he would someday
be able to make a real difference for the people of Fairfax County.
Since his clerkship, Patrick has served an Assistant Commonwealth's
Attorney in Arlington County. In this role, Patrick prosecutes all types
of crime. As one of his duties, Patrick specializes in the prosecution
of street gang crimes, such as crimes perpetrated by MS-13, Folk
Nation, and a number of other active gangs in the area. Patrick also serves
as the liaison to the Arlington Public School System and works with
officers to keep our young people on the right path.
Patrick's experiences in Alexandria and Arlington have shown him how a
properly run prosecutor's office should function. The strong contrast
between the modern efficiency in these offices and problems in Fairfax
County inspired Patrick to run for Commonwealth's Attorney for Fairfax
County and to guide his home county's prosecutor's office into the 21st
century.
Patrick is married to Hana Brilliant, whom he met on the first day of
orientation for law school. Hana is a successful attorney with the firm
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. She is a life-long resident of Fairfax
County and is active with the community as a volunteer firefighter and EMT
with the Fair Oaks Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department. She currently
serves as the first female President of the fire department. Hana and
Patrick live in Vienna and share their home with their recently adopted
dog, Phinneas.
