Professor Paterson was born and schooled in New Zealand, completing conjoint BA/LLB and LLM degrees at Victoria University of Wellington, and a further LLM degree, and a JSD degree at Yale Law School in the USA. After a short period in practice, he taught in the law faculties of Victoria University of Wellington and Otago University, and then served as legal counsel to New Zealand Ombudsmen. Don was appointed as professor of public administration at USP Laucala Campus in 1979, and later became head of the school of social and economic development, and later still, deputy vice chancellor of USP. In 1985 he was appointed professor of law and director of the Pacific Law Unit of USP, which was established in Vanuatu. When the department of law was established in 1994, he continued as professor of law until retirement in 1997. Don was appointed emeritus professor of law in 1997, and maintains an active interest in teaching in the undergraduate and postgraduate law programs, as well as being involved in legal consultancies in the USP region. His publications include Corrin and Paterson, Introduction to South Pacific Law (4th ed, 2017); Farran and Paterson, South Pacific Property Law (2004); Paterson and Farran, South Pacific Island Land Systems (in press).

South Pacific Law (4th ed, 2017); Farran and Paterson, South Pacific Property Law (2004); Paterson and Farran, South Pacific Island Land Systems (in press).