Taylor, McCord, Praver & Cherry

Patrick Cherry was born in Alpaugh, California, the son of a dairy worker, and grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma. After graduation from the University of Oklahoma he served in the US Navy during the Vietnam era, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He speaks French and served on active duty with the French Navy. He was Deputy Director of an Oklahoma state hospital for multi-handicapped children before attending Pepperdine Law School. He began working for Taylor, McCord, Praver & Cherry while in law school and joined the firm upon his admission to the bar in 1992. While his primary focus is family law, he also has experience in civil litigation such as personal injury, contracts and commercial disputes, and toxic and hazardous waste issues. He has a significant amount of experience in the courts of appeal and has handled some of the most significant family law cases, such as Marriage of Fingert; Marriage of Biderman; Marriage of Harrington; Marriage of Griffin; and Marriage of Chakko. His civil appeals include Laughner v. Byrne and Soto v. California as well as 40 or so unreported cases. He and Richard Taylor represented the transitioning parent in the first litigated custody trial in Ventura County involving a transgender parent. He represented a teenager who sued his parents because they were always fighting over custody issues and ignored the child’s desires. His clients range from a real estate investor with an $800 million portfolio to the gardener at the local theme park. In 2021 with the retirement of David Praver and Richard Taylor, Patrick took over as the Senior Partner for Taylor, McCord, Praver & Cherry providing the same high quality work and dedication helping clients through one of the most difficult processes of their lives.