Tom focuses his practice on resolving client disputes in complex commercial matters. He represents clients in corporate governance, contract disputes, deceptive trade practices, trademark, trade dress, trade secret, franchise, dealership, restrictive covenant, construction, and professional negligence matters. Tom has extensive experience in jury and bench trials, arbitrations, mediations, and internal investigations. He represents businesses in the gas, oil, chemical, insurance, pharmaceutical, consumer products/services, construction, and real estate markets. Tom has led trial, arbitration, and mediation teams in achieving excellent results. Tom represents both plaintiffs and defendants in commercial disputes, with a focus on the efficient delivery of legal services.
Tom has lectured on civil practice and procedure at continuing legal education programs sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. He is a certified arbitrator for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Tom served as a member of the Investigative Division of the Commission on Judicial Retention and Selection of the Philadelphia Bar Association.
Prior to joining Reed Smith, he was appointed to the position of Assistant District Attorney for the City of Philadelphia. He served in the Appellate, Investigation, and Trial Divisions of that office. Tom frequently appeared for oral argument before the Pennsylvania Supreme and Superior Courts. As a trial lawyer, he successfully tried hundreds of criminal prosecutions, and obtained convictions in all 24 of his jury trials.
Tom is a 1978 graduate of the Villanova University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review and graduated in the top 10% of his class. He graduated cum laude from Villanova University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.
Tom is admitted to practice before the bars of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.