Patrick M. Ardis
Wolff Ardis, P.C.
5810 Shelby Oaks Dr.
Memphis, TN 38138
901-483-3259
pardis@wolffardis.com
Since 1998, Patrick M. Ardis has been certified as a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 Mediator and has served as a trained Federal Court mediator. He was named one of the best mediators in Memphis in 2018 by Expertise.com.
Mr. Ardis is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Sixth Circuits. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, the Memphis/Shelby County Bar Association, the American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Tennessee Association for Justice (TAJ), the Southern Trial Lawyers Association (STLA), and the Defense Research Institute (DRI), Attorneys Information Exchange Group (AIEG). Mr. Ardis is currently licensed to practice law in Tennessee, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, New York, Missouri, Connecticut, Mississippi, and Arkansas.
Patrick Ardis received a Bachelor of Science from the State University of New York in 1972, and his Juris Doctorate in 1975 from Boston University School of Law. In 1975, he joined the Memphis, Tennessee law firm of Canada, Russell & Turner, where he remained until January 1988. At that time, he, along with his great friend and colleague, Mary L. Wolff, founded the law firm of Wolff Ardis, P.C.
Mr. Ardis was trained as a defense lawyer, while at the same time handling complex plaintiff’s litigation – a unique background. Throughout his career, he has continued to handle cases for both plaintiffs and for defendants. He does not proclaim to be a plaintiffs’ lawyer nor a defense lawyer; rather he claims to be an issues lawyer, handling cases for both sides. This is illustrated by his membership in both DRI and AAJ. He has been appointed by judges and chancellors to handle difficult situations for the courts.
Throughout his career, Mr. Ardis has championed honor and integrity in business. In the area of Products Liability, he is committed to avoiding frivolous suits against manufacturers, but aiding injured parties, and pointing out defective products and the fraud of cover-up that often allows a defect to exist and proliferate. Mr. Ardis has successfully pursued claims regarding motor vehicle crashworthiness, glazing, fuel systems, and occupant restraint systems.
Mr. Ardis has dedicated a large part of his legal career dealing with fidelity bond claims, directors’ and officers’ liability policy claims, securities business claims and contracts and other matters involving allegations of breach of fiduciary duties. In addition to handling a myriad of complex litigation matters for client financial institutions, Mr. Ardis has effected the recovery of more than $140,000,000 in the areas of fraud and negligence, and has successfully defended a number of claims made against financial institution.
After spending seven years living in the United Kingdom and managing a U.S. law firm’s London office, Mr. Ardis became very familiar with the English legal system and became very familiar with English institutions such as Lloyds of London; he became comfortable with the English/European view of the United States as well. He also served as counsel for the Customs and Excise for the Island of Jamaica.
Mr. Ardis has developed and presented hundreds of seminars and speeches on a variety of subjects, including product liability, motor vehicle safety, fidelity bonds, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, risk management, fraud detection and investigation, internet fraud, and the use of multi-media technology in litigation. He has lectured throughout the United States and Europe for groups including the American Management Association, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Bank Administration Institute, the Risk and Insurance Management Society, the Society of Financial Examiners, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, and the American Bar Association. Additionally, he has co-authored two books: Risk Management: Computers, Fraud and Insurance was published by McGraw-Hill in 1987; Bad Lies in Business was published by McGraw-Hill in 1988.
From 1982 until January of 1993, Mr. Ardis served as a member of the Board of Boston University’s Morin Center for Banking Law Studies. In 1985, he was a co-recipient of the Young Lawyer’s Chair from the Boston University School of Law, along with Mary L. Wolff. From 1995 until 2000 he was a member of the Board of Visitors of the Boston University School of Law.
In the summer of 1988, Mr. Ardis was named Vice Chairman of the American Bar Association, Section of Tort and Insurance Practices, Professional Officers’ and Directors’ Liability Law Committee, and subsequently served as Chair of that committee in 1991-92. Mr. Ardis also served as the Chair of The Fidelity Insurance Litigation Group of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America from 1994-1996 and has served as the head of the Motor Vehicle Glass Subgroup of The Attorneys Information Exchange Group.
In 2004, Martindale Hubbell recognized Mr. Ardis as an AV Preeminent for Twenty Years – 1993-2003. Mr. Ardis was named one of the top lawyers in Tennessee in 2012 and one of the top lawyers in the Mid-South in 2014 and 2015. He was selected a SuperLawyer each year 2009-2017.
Mr. Ardis has been endorsed by the following:
