The Power of Experience
Tennessee roots meet nationwide expertise at Waddey Acheson. Discover the power of our experience as your trusted partner for Intellectual Property, AI Matters, and High-Stakes Litigation. Our seasoned attorneys deliver top-tier legal solutions as your strategic ally from coast to coast.
The Future of Law
Waddey Acheson is a cutting-edge law firm based in Nashville, Tennessee. With decades of experience, we combined forces in 2024 as leaders in Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and High-Stakes Litigation. Our commitment to leveraging technology sets us apart, streamlining workflow and reducing costs for our clients while delivering exceptional outcomes. We employ technological advances that the economics of larger firms make it difficult for them to embrace. These technological advances enable us to provide efficient and effective representation that exceeds big-law results at a lower cost to the client. Discover a new era in legal excellence with Waddey Acheson.
Jack Waddey
Reg. Pat. Attorney
Jack Waddey is the patriarch of intellectual property law in Tennessee. He was a co-founder of Nashville’s first IP specific boutique firm in the early ‘90’s, but his IP legacy dates back to the late ‘60’s when he entered Georgetown Law School and paid his way through school by working as a patent examiner in the USPTO. He brings 50+ years of experience to the table, having secured hundreds of patents and trademarks for his clients, helping clients with IP strategy to strengthen their businesses, protecting the IP of his clients in litigation, and defending infringement claims against his clients in patent, copyright, and trademark disputes of every nature. Since 1998, he has served as a mediator in helping others to resolve their conflicts.
Legal Career & Accomplishments
Jack’s legal career includes:
- Associate at Arent Fox
- Associate/Partner at Willis & Knight
- Partner at Hooker & Waddey
- Partner at Waddey Lundin & Newport
- Founding Partner at Waddey – Patterson
- Partner at Waller Landsen Dortch Davis
- Senior Affiliate Counsel at Holland Knight
Some of Jack’s accomplishments include:
- Editor for the Georgetown Law Journal
- Law Clerk for the Honorable Harry Phillips, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
- Secretary/Treasurer of the Nashville Bar Association
- President/Chairman of several IP Organizations, including:
- The Tennessee Bar Association Section on IP
- The Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association
- The Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators
- Nashville Entertainment and IP Law Chapter of the American Inns of Court
- Named the 2023 Best Mediator in the US for IP and Sophisticated Legal Disputes by BUSINESS TODAY, the on-line business magazine with the largest circulation in the US
- Named by Chambers & Partners as a Tennessee Senior Counsel for IP
- Named by Chambers & Partners as one of the top 35 Mediators in the United States
- Named a Distinguished Fellow in the International Academy of Mediators, an organization of the top ~200 mediators in the world
- Named as the Auburn University Aerospace Engineering MAN OF THE YEAR for 2024
- A member, by invitation, of the following panels of mediators:
- American Arbitration Association
- International Trademark Law Association
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) Dispute Resolution Mediation Panel
- Multiple years of recognition by publications such as:
- Nashville Business Journal Best Lawyers list for IP
- Nashville Post IN CHARGE recognition for leadership in law and business
- BEST LAWYERS magazine recognition for one of Tennessee’s best lawyers in IP and for Mediation
- SUPER LAWYERS Magazine as a leader in the IP law world
Chanelle Acheson
Partner, Attorney
Chanelle Acheson is a founding partner at Waddey Acheson. Recognized for her exceptional legal skills and commitment to her clients, she has a wealth of experience representing clients in a broad range of complex litigation matters. Chanelle has represented corporate and individual clients in cases across the litigation and governmental investigation spectrum, including Intellectual Property, entertainment law, state and federal civil enforcement actions, high-stakes contract and fraud claims, anti-kickback allegations, privacy issues, and healthcare fraud and abuse. Chanelle has also been on the leading edge of technology in case and client management, developing a highly secure web-based project management tool for a multi-billion dollar, multi-party client in an ongoing case which allowed the parties to distribute internal workflow and edit documents, provide feedback to the larger group, and execute required voting procedures, all within the highest security parameters. She believes in using technology to work smarter and engineer around human friction whenever possible.
Chanelle graduated from the University of Colorado in 2001 with a BS in Political Science and furthered her studies in International Law at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England. Chanelle earned her Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School in 2004.
Prior to going into private practice, Chanelle served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps from 2005 to 2011, rising through the ranks with exemplary leadership. Her tenure in the Marines honed the strategic acumen and unwavering determination that she now channels into her legal practice, ensuring her clients receive the utmost dedication and results-driven representation.
Legal Career & Accomplishments
Representative Clients have included:
- BP
- ExxonMobil
- General Motors
- National Grid
- Texaco
- Phelps Dodge Corporation
- Southeast Financial Credit Union
- Newtown Creek Group
- Channel 5 News
- Her & King’s County
Coming Attraction
First Associate
We have hired as our first associate, an experienced litigator with a focus on IP cases. Our associate is gearing up for a month-long trial in DC, upon the completion of which he will be joining our practice mid Summer of 2024. More info to come.
Our Services
Intellectual Property
Our attorneys are ready to protect your IP, including trade secrets, inventions, patent resources, trademarks, and copyrights from any outside threats and artificial intelligence. We understand the advancements of AI and are dedicated to working at the highest level so that your ideas and creations are legally safeguarded.
Litigation
Strategic advocacy and representation in all types of sophisticated litigation, including IP cases, commercial disputes, and white-collar criminal charges.
Mediation Expertise
Jack Waddey has been named the “go to” mediator for sophisticated legal disputes in Tennessee as well as the 2023 Best Mediator in the US for IP and Complicated Legal Disputes by Business Today. So if you are in a dispute and need a top-level mediator or mediation consultant to help you get the best results, call Jack.
Corporate Internal Investigations
We help companies conduct thorough and impartial investigations to assess potential misconduct or compliance issues within the organization.
Government Investigations
Representation and guidance to clients facing investigations to ensure compliance and protect rights