Name: Patty Barksdale
Age: 39
Pets: Our lab mix of 12 years died last year. That left us with our neighbor’s strange outdoor cat, which we allow them to feed but we call our own.
Education: Double Gator
Admitted to the Bar: 1996
Employed by: U.S. Attorney’s Office
Field of practice: Civil and criminal appellate practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
Professional Organizations: Chair of the Florida Bar’s Federal Court Practice Committee; Vice President-Membership for the Federal Bar Association, Jacksonville Chapter; Member of Local Rules Committee for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida; Executive Board and Barrister for the Chester Bedell Inns of Court.
Community Involvement: Board Member for the Sanctuary on 8th Street; Circle 3 Member at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church
How did you get involved?
Mark Rosenberg asked me to organize a party for the kids at the Sanctuary on 8th Street. Anyone who knows Mark knows that you can’t say no to him or he will relentlessly pester you. He told me that if I spent one afternoon with the kids there, I’d be sold on its mission. He was right.
How can someone else get involved?
The Sanctuary on 8th Street is always looking for good volunteers. The few people left out there who Mark has not yet recruited can get involved by calling him at his law firm, The Law Offices of Mark L. Rosenberg, P.A., 354-4680.
What have you learned/achieved through the experience?
I’ve learned that some of the most fun, eager, polite and appreciative kids in Jacksonville are at the Sanctuary on 8th Street, which is amazing considering the disadvantages that they’ve had from the start.
What was the last book you read or are reading?
I’d like to say Sun Tzu’s “Art of War,” but the embarrassing truth is J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” My daughter is wizard-obsessed and talked me into it, another person to whom I can’t say no.