He then worked for two years as a clerk for Presiding Superior Court Judge Joseph Rodgers, Jr., and then joined the R.I. attorney general's office in 1994.
In 1999, Lynch joined Rhode Island law firm Tillinghast Licht Perkins Smith & Cohen, where he worked until being elected attorney general.
Lynch faced J. William Harsch, a former director of the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, who ran as an independent but had the endorsement of the state Republican Party.
[7] One of Lynch's first responsibilities as attorney general was to oversee the criminal investigation of the February 20, 2003, Station Nightclub Fire in West Warwick.
The criminal investigation led to the sentencing of Daniel Biechele, the tour manager of the band whose pyrotechnics started the fire, and also resulted in no-contest pleas by the two co-owners of the nightclub.
Lynch won the jury trial in a second lawsuit against Sherwin Williams Co., NL Industries, and Millennium Holdings, LLC., all former lead paint manufacturers.
Lynch has since been criticized for accepting $4,250 in contributions from DuPont lawyers and lobbyists, and his opponent in the 2006 elections filed a complaint with the Rhode Island Ethics Commission.
Moreau was sentenced in Rhode Island federal court to 24 months in prison after pleading guilty to soliciting and accepting a bribe while Mayor of Central Falls.
In his statement, Lynch said: "I did not enter public service to become a footnote in history by injuring my party, resulting in the election of a governor who is not equipped to guide our wonderful State into the future it deserves.
"[20][21] Since leaving his post as attorney general, he has been accused of lobbying his former office several times on behalf of topics such as online gambling and Google Search engine practices via his firm the Patrick Lynch Group.