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From the Pitchto the Courtroom

IN RECESS

When Robert “RC” Pate was 10 years old and living in Corpus Christi, he decided he’d had enoughof soccer. He quit. He did other things and life carried on. So Pate didn’t think much about picking upthe game again while attending high school. He liked to play. But that seemingly innocuous decisionwould forever change his life. For it was on the soccer field that Pate met his wife, Pamela, while playingin a coed league. He went on to become a criminal defense and DWI attorney in San Antonio, and thecouple had a daughter, Athena, whom Pate coached, along with her soccer team, for a season. Whenhe gets a spare moment, Pate still plays coed soccer with Pamela. He didn’t realize what an impact hisdecision to return to soccer would make when he was in high school, but that decision is clear today.

A San Antonio attorney swaps out business shoes for cleats in his coed soccer league.

INTERVIEW BY ADAM FADEREWSKI

10 Texas Bar Journal • January 2018 texasbar.com

texasbar.com/tbj Vol. 81, No. 1 • Texas Bar Journal 11

What positions do you play?I play everywhere. I’m not a very good goalkeeper. I’mprobably best at midfield. I’m one of those people whodoes not have a set position—I play the position thatnobody showed up for that week.

How long have you been playing in the coedleague?Probably eight years now.

How often do you play games?There are three seasons—the fall, spring, and summer—and a couple of weeks off between each one depending onhow many rainouts we’ve had. Generally speaking, it’s agame every weekend.

Have you gone to the playoffs or won a championship?They only keep standings for the fall season; the othersare just to keep in shape. If you win the fall season, youdon’t have to pay the entrance to the state tournament,which is held usually in April or May, and we have donethat for each of the past four years.

Have you had any experience coaching? I coached my daughter’s soccer team for one year, and forabout three seasons before that, I coached a team of low-income kids in San Antonio. Unfortunately, it’s true thatall kids sports now are becoming big business as opposedto dads going out hitting T-Ball.

The United States Soccer Federation has regional tryouts,then larger regional tryouts, and then national tryouts. Sev-eral kids I have coached over the years have made theregional team. There are only about 20 kids from CentralTexas who make that team for each age group.

Are there any other sports that you participate in?The Austin Sports and Social Club, and then a branch inSan Antonio offered coed sports like kickball, softball,and flag football. I have done the majority of those, butsoccer is the one I stick with mostly because I convincedmy now wife that she should let me play on her team.That was before she ever would have considered me as aromantic interest. So you know, small steps in the rightdirection.

What was it that got you interested in practicing law?That’s kind of a long story. I wanted to be in a band aftercollege. My dad said he wouldn’t make fun of that choiceif I took the LSAT (a promise he did not live up to, bythe way). I took it and did well—probably because I was

IN RECESS

much less nervous about the test. I wasn’t going to lawschool after all. Then the band broke up, and I applied fora variety of teaching positions. My dad once again encouragedme to apply to the University of Houston Law Center.Teach For America had too many applicants at the time.The Region 20 emergency certification people said Icouldn’t apply because I didn’t take the TASP Test inhigh school (long story there too). I found out I got intolaw school on the day they told me to wait another year.I didn’t want to wait, so here I am.

How do you think your law practice relates to your experiences on the soccer field?I suppose as a criminal defense lawyer it helps to nevergive up. You can always score another right at the end ofthe game. Keep your head down and work hard and hopethat effort pays off. TBJ

“I suppose as a criminaldefense lawyer it helpsto never give up. You canalways score anotherright at the end of thegame. Keep your head downand work hard and hopethat effort pays off.”