Patricia Haim was born and raised in New York City. She lived in Melbourne for three years with her uncle Paul Kurz (a major figure in Lifelines) and graduated from the University of Melbourne’s honors program in English language and literature. After that, she returned to the United States for graduate school at Duke University and, eventually, Notre Dame Law School. She retired after a career specializing in employment, labor, and immigration law. She now lives in Bend, Oregon.