Jack Waddey
Consulting Counsel

Overview
Jack Waddey is a mediator of complicated, sophisticated disputes in intellectual property and business breakups. In Chambers USA 2021, he was recognized in the nationwide Mediators category at the Band II level, consisting of the top 35 mediators in the U.S. Additionally, he has been named a "go-to" mediator by the Nashville Post, and he is one of 15 mediators on the International Trademark Association panel of mediators for trademark disputes. Mr. Waddey's history as the leading patent attorney in the area makes his views and counseling on intellectual property strategy a critical component to the long-term success of his many clients, both in terms of profitability and competitive positioning.
Over the past two decades, Mr. Waddey's practice has increasingly concentrated on Alternate Dispute Resolution, and he has gained a reputation locally, regionally and nationally as the go-to mediator for difficult IP and commercial cases. He is a distinguished fellow of the International Academy of Mediators.
Mr. Waddey's legal career has focused on intellectual property law and protecting valuable intellectual property assets for clients in a wide range of industries. He views intellectual property strategy as a critical component to a company's long-term success both in terms of profitability and competitive positioning. Over the course of his career, he has assisted clients in obtaining more than 200 patents and developing and managing intellectual property portfolios comprised of thousands of patents and trademarks. His experience includes intellectual property litigation in federal and state courts throughout the country and United States Courts of Appeal.
Highly sought after for his experience and insight, Mr. Waddey enjoys working with startup companies that are developing new products and technologies as well as advising established organizations that require enhanced IP protection as part of its overall business strategy when they expand into new markets or face new competition.
Credentials
- Georgetown University Law Center, J.D.
- Auburn University, B.S., Aerospace Engineering
- Tennessee
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- All State Courts in Tennessee
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
- Tennessee Academy of Mediators & Arbitrators, Charter Member
- Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators, Founding Member and Past President
- Commercial Mediators Association
- American Bar Association Intellectual Property and Dispute Resolution Sections
- International Trademark Association
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association, Founding Member and Past President,
- Tennessee Bar Association, Section on Intellectual Property, Past Chairman; ADR Section
- Nashville Bar Association, Secretary/Treasurer, 1974-1975; IP and ADR Sections
- Nashville Bar Foundation, Distinguished Fellow
- Davidson County Industrial Revenue Board, Board Member, 1981
- Tennessee Bar Association House of Delegates, Area Delegate, 1996-2008
- Nashville Technology Council
- Nashville Chamber of Commerce
- Pepperdine University School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Adjunct Faculty Member, Spring Semester, 2015
- Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Founding Board Member
- Distinguished Fellow and Board Member, International Academy of Mediators
- Nashville Celtics Basketball Association, Founder
- Theta Chi Fundraising and Building Committee, Chairman
- Auburn Alumni Engineering Council, Research Committee, Chair
- Auburn University School of Engineering, Strategic Leadership Team
- Auburn University Long Range Planning Committee
- Chambers USA – America's Leading Business Lawyers guide, Senior Statesman Intellectual Property (Tennessee), 2019-2023; Mediators-USA-Nationwide, 2022, 2023
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, Mediation, 2023-2024; Patent Law, 2011-2024; Trademark Law, 2011-2024
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, Lawyer of the Year - Patent Law (Nashville), 2019
- Mid-South Super Lawyers guide, Intellectual Property, 2007-2014
- Nashville Bar Association , "Best of the Bar," Intellectual Property Law Practice, 2016
- The Legal Network, Top Lawyers in Tennessee
- Nashville Post, In Charge, Legal, 2022
- Nashville Business Journal, Best of the Bar, Intellectual Property, 2022