Patricia Beaujean Lehtolapartner
Patricia Beaujean Lehtola, managing partner and founder, left a firm partnership in 1995 to start Lehtola & Cannatti, PLLC. She is best known for her sophisticated understanding of the laws and regulations in the world of credit and finance, having represented financial institutions for nearly three decades across a broad spectrum of transactional and consumer disputes.
Patricia is equally comfortable in the world of insurance with experience in both first and third party claims and labor & employment. Her energy, innovative thinking and calm demeanor have helped her build a loyal financial-industry and business clientele.
Successfully guiding her clients through complex litigation, Patricia anticipates and executes effective resolutions tailored to each case's unique facts. As lead counsel for her clients, she has tried over 30 jury cases and multiple bench trials, and has resolved thousands of cases prior to trial. She is comfortable in state, federal or appellate courts.
Patricia is AV® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, its highest rating level measuring both legal ability and ethical standards. She holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from Duke University School of Law. She has been licensed to practice in California since 1984 and in Texas since 1985, and is fluent in Spanish.
Patricia has devoted significant volunteer time to her alma maters by serving on the Hispanic Alumni of Notre Dame (HAND) Board of Directors, assisting in organizing and running a silent auction benefiting the Latino Institute at the University of Notre Dame, hosting various events for local Notre Dame current and future students, writing for the HAND Newsletter and supporting the local Notre Dame Club of Dallas.
Patricia has also served on the Duke Law School Alumni Association Board of Directors, is a regular panelist for the law school's Business Law Society's Career & Professional Development Center Symposium, a participant in the law school's Bridge to Practice Program and a local supporter of the Duke Club of North Texas.
Patricia has also served on the Boards of Directors of the Family Compass (formerly known as the Child Abuse Protection Center) and CampFire Boys and Girls.
Representative Experience+
Mortgage and Lending
- Financial services litigation
- General banking litigation
- Fraud and derivative actions relating to the credit crisis lawsuits
- Defense of predatory lending claims
- Violations of consumer protection laws and federal mortgage regulations litigation
- Lending discrimination litigation
Commercial Litigation
- Business disputes
- Breach of contract
- Legal malpractice
- Business fraud
- Real estate litigation
- Litigation over non-compete agreements
Insurance Defense
- Premise Liability Defense
- Wrongful death
- Employee negligence claims
- Contaminated food product liability claims
- Coverage opinions
- Examinations under Oath
Labor & Employment
- Employment Litigation
- Executive Compensation Disputes and Negotiation
- Non-competes, Unfair competition and Trade secret Litigation
- Whistleblower litigation
- Wage and Hour Claims
Selected Published Opinions+
- Phillips Staffing Servs. v. Spherion Atl. Workforce, L.L.C., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20873 (E.D. Tex. Mar. 23, 2007)
Court denied motion to dismiss Patricias client's suit in favor of arbitration after finding that opponent had waived right to arbitrate case. - Grun v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12399 (W.D. Tex. July 1, 2004)
Court granted summary judgment in favor of Patricia's client, Countrywide Home Loans, in complex law suit brought by borrower seeking to set aside home equity loan as having been obtained by fraud. The court found that the borrower did not lack mental capacity, that all foreclosure procedures were properly followed, that the home equity lien was valid and that if there was any fraud at origination, such fraud was committed by the borrower's son who was acting as her attorney. - Hodge v. N. Trust Bank of State, 54 S.W.3d 518 (Tex. App. – Eastland 2001, pet. denied)
Court granted summary judgment in favor of Patricia's client, Northern Trust Bank, in lawsuit filed by son for conversion of funds held on his behalf in a CD. The court held that the CD was a special deposit, that the discovery rule did not apply and that the claims were all barred by the statutes of limitations. - Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. v. Lindsay, 787 S.W.2d 51 (Tex. 1990)
Patricia obtained writ of mandamus in favor of Chase Manhattan after trial court erroneously concluded that it no longer had jurisdiction to compel appearance of opponent at deposition.
Admitted to Practice+
- State Courts of Texas
- State Courts of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas
Community+
- Child Abuse Protection Agency, former Board Member
- CampFire Boys and Girls, former Board Member
- Duke Law School Alumni Association, former Board Member
- Notre Dame Hispanic Alumni, former Board Member
- Duke Club of North Texas, Member
- Notre Dame Club of Dallas, Member