[3] Fitzpatrick initially gained notoriety through his representation of defendants in several high-profile federal criminal cases, including Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act-related prosecutions.
During his tenure as district attorney, he sought to shake up the day-to-day operations of the office, whose perceived ineffectiveness was a major theme of his campaign against Specter.
[4] Fitzpatrick was also criticized for sentence recommendations he made as district attorney for individuals he had previously defended while in private practice.
[4] In the 1977 Democratic primary, he was defeated for renomination by Ed Rendell, who campaigned against perceived corruption within the district attorney's office, and went on to win the general election.
After his defeat, Fitzpatrick taught numerous educational seminars and an advanced trial techniques course at the Widener University School of Law.