Patrick Wayne Dennison is a Member of the Construction and Energy industry groups, focusing primarily on litigation, workplace health and safety, and labor and employment. He practices out of the Firm’s office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Patrick spends much of his time representing companies challenging enforcement actions by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Patrick combines a deep knowledge of MSHA and OSHA laws and regulations with a high-level understanding of the industry to provide his clients unsurpassed representation and counsel. It helps that Patrick knows the mining and construction industries like the back of his hand — he grew up in a small coal mining town, comes from a family of miners, and worked for a mine and in construction while in college. So, it’s no wonder one of his favorite parts of his practice is getting to know the people at the mines and operations he represents.
Patrick has traveled throughout the country to defend companies in proceedings before administrative law judges and in matters ranging from pre-trial discovery up through appeals to the United States Courts of Appeal. Patrick’s experience also extends to labor and employment issues, including representing employers in discrimination cases. Besides legal services, Patrick provides companies with training in safety, health, and employment-related matters. Before joining Jackson Kelly, Patrick worked for a law firm in Jacksonville, Florida.
An athlete by nature, Patrick enjoys most sports but holds a genuine passion for folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Patrick believes that dedicating oneself to any sport requires persistence, ingenuity, and a keen ability to focus on small but essential details. Living by the words of Olympic wrestler and legendary coach, Dan Gable, who famously said, "[O]nce you've wrestled, everything else in life is easy," Patrick attributes his nearly 30 years of wrestling experience as competitor or coach to shaping his focused approach to his legal practice.
Outside of the office, Patrick enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids. More often than not, however, his "free time" involves coaching his sons and daughter in wrestling or nervously watching his daughter compete in gymnastics. Luckily for Patrick, his wife was a competitive gymnast who enjoys competition as much, if not more, than he does.