After joining the firm in 1987, Pat became a partner in 1990 and received her appointment as Queen's Counsel in 1998. She became a fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in 2001.

Pat chaired the Family Law Subsection of the Canadian Bar Association and was a founding member of their National Task Force on Gender Equality in the Legal Profession. She has served on several Law Society committees.

Recognition of her professional accomplishments include Pat as a leading Practitioner in Litigation - Family Law, In all eleven editions of the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (1997-2007) and being selected to be included in "The Best Lawyers in Canada" director in Family Law and Alternate Dispute Resolution. She has also consistently received the highest rating for the Martindale Hubbell International Legal Directory. She received the John Haynes Memorial Award for her outstanding contribution to Family Mediation in Alberta in 2006.

Pat is a Director and Vice Chair of the Calgary International Children's Festival. She is a frequent speaker and sessional lecturer at the University of Calgary and at provincial, national and international family law conferences; and co-instructor of the Family Mediation training course sponsored by the Legal Education Society of Alberta. She has authored and co-authored papers on mediation, equality issues, child and spousal support, business valuations, and legal processes for battered women.

Pat is involved in international human rights and poverty issues and sits as a Director on two Canadian Foundations - Partners in the Horn of Africa, which operates in Ethiopia and Future Generations Canada, which provides aid in Afghanistan.