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Patrick J. Olmstead Jr.

Associate

Patrick J. Olmstead, Jr. is an associate with Hoover Hull LLP.  He represents parties in professional liability defense, insurance coverage matters, and commercial litigation. He is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in Indiana and Missouri, as well as before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He is experienced as local counsel, co-counsel, and appellate counsel. Patrick was also selected for inclusion in the listing of Indiana Rising Stars®** for 2009.

Professional Experience

  • Defends professionals in professional negligence suits.
  • Represents attorneys before the Indiana Disciplinary Commission.
  • Represents companies in complex commercial litigation. Patrick has represented companies in multi-billion dollar class actions and collective actions, including products liability and toxic tort defense.
  • Represents parties in complex personal injury litigation.
  • Represents parties in environmental contamination cases, including toxic tort suits, mold contamination claims, and nuisance actions.
  • Represents parties in complex insurance coverage disputes. Serves as local counsel for the Complex Insurance Claims Litigation Association.
  • Represents management in employment related disputes, including discrimination actions, non-competition agreements, and other areas of labor and employment law.
  • Serves as appellate counsel, including petitions for transfer to the Indiana Supreme Court.

Education and Prior Employment

Patrick received his B.A. in Government from the University of Notre Dame (1990), and his J.D., summa cum laude, from the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis (2001), where he was salutatorian.  Patrick served on the Indiana Law Review and received the James Lawrence Fellowship from the Indianapolis Bar Foundation.  While in law school, Patrick interned for the Honorable Judge John D. Tinder of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Region 25 of the National Labor Relations Board, and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.  

Publications and Speaking Engagements

Patrick is a frequent presenter and author regarding professional liability and ethics. Some of the topics include "The Ethics of Alternative Fee Agreements," "Drafting Ethical Fee Agreements," "Ethical Timekeeping," "Legal and Ethical Issues for Indiana Accountants," "Practical Tips to Avoid Malpractice Complaints and Grievances," and "Representing Non-Profit Corporations."

Professional Associations, Memberships, and Community Service

  • Patrick is a member of the Legal Ethics Committee of the Indiana State Bar Association, where he chairs the Ethics Hotline Subcommittee. He is the Secretary/Treasurer of the General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Committee. He is also a member of the Expert Witness Committee and Center for Professional Responsibility of the American Bar Association. 
  • Patrick is President of the Notre Dame Class of 1990 and a Director of the Notre Dame Club of Indianapolis. 
  • Patrick is a Director and chairs the Compliance Committee of the Wernle Youth & Family Treatment Center.
  • Patrick is also a Director and the Vice President for the St. Thomas More Society, which is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

Representative Cases

  • Medical Assurance Co., Inc. v. Miller, 779 F. Supp. 2d 902 (S.D. Ind. 2011) (insurance coverage litigation; granting summary judgment to medical malpractice insurer and finding that insured’s breach of cooperation clause relieved insurer of duty to defend or indemnify in underlying suit).
  • Flatow v. Ingalls, 932 N.E.2d 726 (Ind. Ct. App. 2010), trans. denied (legal malpractice; reversing and remanding trial court’s denial of summary judgment; holding that attorneys had no duty to plaintiff due to the limited nature of their representation and that plaintiff failed to create an issue of fact as to proximate cause).
  • Medical Assurance v. Hellman, et al., 610 F.3d 371 (7th Cir. 2010) (insurance coverage litigation; vacating stay of declaratory judgment action concerning breach of cooperation clause).
  • Walton v. Hyatt & Rosenbaum, P.A., No. 1:08-cv-1275, 2009 WL 3004539 (S.D. Ind. Sept. 18, 2009) and 2010 WL 379417 (S.D. Ind. Jan. 25, 2010) (professional liability; dismissing FDCPA claim against attorney and awarding fees and costs).
  • Tri-Etch, Inc. v. Cincinnati Ins. Co., 909 N.E.2d 997 (Ind. 2009) (representing amicus curiae).
  • Nesbitt v. Jackel, 881 N.E.2d 100, 2008 WL 427655 (Ind. Ct. App. Feb. 19, 2008) (professional liability; successfully moved to exclude expert testimony, thus negating plaintiff’s ability to maintain a legal malpractice suit).

The foregoing judicial opinions are provided only as exemplars of the legal experiences of Hoover Hull LLP and its attorneys, and do not represent the full range of experience of the firm. They should not be viewed or used as a substitute for specific legal advice. Each of these legal matters presented a unique set of facts, and none should be viewed as suggesting or predicting any outcome in any other legal matter, regardless of similarity.

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** The Rising Stars® selection process (limited to attorneys 40 years old or younger or in practice for 10 years or less) is based on nominations by attorneys licensed in Indiana combined with third party research. Up to 2.5% of the total lawyers in the state are selected for inclusion in the listing of Rising Stars®.

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