Patrice Wedderburn is an Adjunct Professor of Law and teaches the Externship seminar. Professor Wedderburn also serves as the Senior Director of Clinical Programs at the Law Center and the Founder of Wedderburn Taylor Law, PLLC. Prior to coming to the Law Center, Professor Wedderburn worked in Baltimore serving as lead counsel in the Office of Legal Counsel for Baltimore City Public Schools (“City Schools”) where she represented City Schools in special education and related matters. Prior to working for City Schools, Professor Wedderburn served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Public Safety Division with the D.C. Office of the Attorney General (“OAG”). In this role, she represented the District in the D.C. Superior Court’s Family Division in juvenile delinquency, status offense, civil commitment and guardianship matters. Specifically, she handled all aspects of both civil and criminal litigation including and making charging decisions, interviewing and preparing for testimony police, civilian and expert witnesses. Moreover, she worked closely with stakeholders across a variety of disciplines to evaluate appropriate dispositions for involved juveniles and adult consumers to develop comprehensive rehabilitation plans.

Professor Wedderburn also worked as a Staff Attorney at Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc.(AJE), the District’s federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. There Professor Wedderburn represented parents and students in special education, school discipline and other education related matters.

Prior to her legal career, Professor Wedderburn served as the International Policy Specialist for Friends of the Global Fight, where she was responsible for supporting the organization’s work to educate U.S. policymakers and influencers about the lifesaving work to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Professor Wedderburn is a published author, regular speaker and active in her community, including serving as the Governance Chair for the Board of Directors of Reach, Incorporated, local literacy based non-profit focused on developing confident readers and capable leaders. Professor Wedderburn received her B.A. in Politics with a concentration in Poverty Studies from Washington & Lee University. She received her Masters in Social Work from Boston College with a focus on Community Organizing, Policy, Planning and Administration and her J.D. from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law.