Weldon Patterson was born in Harlan, Kentucky. He attended Tennessee Technological University (B.S., 1984), and the University of Tennessee (M.S., 1986; J.D., with Honors, 1988), and was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 1989 and the Arkansas Bar in 2025. He is admitted to practice before all of the state and federal courts in Tennessee, all of the state courts of Arkansas, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and the United States Supreme Court. Weldon has been a member of the Professionalism Committee of the Knoxville Bar Association since 2008 and has been a Hearing Committee member of the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee since 2008. He is a member of multiple bar associations, including the National Transportation Safety Board Bar and the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association. Weldon is a licensed pilot with a multi-engine instrument rating and is also a Coast Guard licensed captain with a 100-ton Master’s license. He has been given the highest rating (AV) with Martindale-Hubbell, which is based upon peer reviews. He has been lead counsel in many complex jury cases throughout Tennessee. He has been a Rule 31 Mediator under the Rules of the Tennessee Supreme Court since 2004. He has also served as President of the Tennessee Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates in 2017. Weldon is a member of the Board of Governors of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association.
Weldon and his wife Mary enjoy many hobbies together, including hunting and fishing, piloting themselves to distant destinations, boating, scuba diving, and skiing.
Litigation Percentage
- 90% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Certified Legal Specialties
- Rule 31 Certified Mediator, Tennessee Supreme Court, 2004
Bar Admissions
- Tennessee, 1989
- Arkansas, 2025
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Tennessee
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Tennessee
- U.S. District Court Western District of Tennessee
- U.S. Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
Education
- University of Tennessee College of Law, Knoxville, Tennessee, J.D. – 1988
- Honors: With Honors
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, M.S. with Honors – 1986
- Honors: Selected Most Outstanding Student
- Honors: Phi Kappa Honors Society
- Honors: Pi Lambda Theta Professional Society
- Major: Rehabilitation Counseling
- Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, Tennessee, B.S. – 1984
- Major: Chemistry
Published Works
- Evidence Workshop Handbook for General Practitioners, Professional Education Systems
- Trying the Automobile Injury Case in Tennessee, National Business Institute, 1996
- Trying the Wrongful Death Case in Tennessee: Strategies and Preparation and Valuation, National Business Institute, 1998
- Trying the Soft-Tissue Injury Case in Tennessee, National Business Institute, 1999
- How to Successfully Make and Manage Objections at Trial in Tennessee, National Business Institute, 2000
- Tennessee Advanced Litigation Skills for Paralegals, Half Moon, LLC, 2000
- How to Litigate Your First Civil Trial in Tennessee, National Business Institute, 2001
- Winning Voir Dire Strategies in Tennessee, National Business Institute, 2002
- Advanced Trial Advocacy in Tennessee, National Business Institute, 2003
- Evidence in Trial Practice, National Business Institute, 2006
- Gaining the Best Settlement in Auto Injury Cases, National Business Institute, 2008
- Evidence and Expert Testimony Best Practices: Supporting Your Case, National Business Institute, 2008
- Multiple journal publications
Representative Cases
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Tennessee Bar Association
- Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association (Board of Governors)
- Southern Trial Lawyers Association (Executive Committee)
- Knoxville Bar Association, Professionalism Committee
- Hamilton Burnette American Inn of Court, Master of the Bench
- Lawyer-Pilot Bar Association
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
- National Transportation Safety Board Bar
Pro Bono Activities
- Lectures to professional & public groups, including schools, re:
- Health Care Law;
- Advanced Litigation;
- Aviation; and
- Ethics.
