Tom is a litigator representing individuals and companies in a wide variety of business-related and personal disputes. He practices in various fields of civil litigation, including commercial, construction and insolvency litigation.
Tom has tried more than 100 cases to conclusion in Connecticut Superior Court, United States District Court and United States Bankruptcy Court and has argued before both the Connecticut Supreme and Appellate Courts. Much of his trial work involves complex banking issues, including lender liability cases, contested foreclosure/collection matters and representation of creditors in adversary bankruptcy proceedings. Tom’s skill at cross-examining adverse witnesses has often turned the tide in hotly contested commercial cases, especially those involving complex financial documents.
Clients appreciate Tom’s responsiveness and creativity in devising solutions to seemingly intractable issues. He takes the time to learn about his clients’ businesses, and in approaching their legal challenges, adopts a strategy that is both cost-effective and practical.
Tom has long been engaged in the community in which he works, playing a leading role in promoting the mental health and well-being of children and families with the Clifford W. Beers Guidance Clinic, the oldest continuously operated mental health clinic in the country, on whose board he has served for the past 11 years, including three years as its Chair. In 2009, he created a non-profit, WIKS-USA, that raised funds to build, equip and operate a residential school for children orphaned by AIDS in rural Western Kenya. Today, that school provides a high-quality education to more than 400 students in one of the most impoverished areas in sub-Saharan Africa. From 1998-2011, Tom served as a director of the United Way of Greater New Haven, chairing that organization from 2006-2008, during which time he was instrumental in transforming the organization from a federated fundraiser into an active agent for positive community impact.
While in law school, Tom completed an internship with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, working on behalf of victims of employment discrimination. He also volunteered for Greater Boston Legal Services as a student attorney, representing indigent persons in a variety of matters, including landlord/tenant disputes and Social Security Administration appeals.
“I wish to express my positive experience working with Tom. First, he was a pleasure to work with. Second and more importantly he provided excellent legal services. He was knowledgeable and responsive to the complicated legal and factual issues raised.”
– Corporation Counsel
“Thank you for representing us in our litigation. You were able to quickly resolve an intractable problem that was a long time in the making. I appreciate your pragmatic and forceful approach to the litigation and the resulting negotiations.”
– Individual client
“All successful entrepreneurs/businessmen need two things: a good legal guide on the right side and a good banker on the left side. I can say unequivocally that we have found that legal support with Tom by our side.”
– CEO, Computer Consulting Services
Connecticut Bar Association
New Haven County Bar Association
Waterbury Bar Association
Best Lawyers® – Commercial Litigation, 2022-2023
Yale Sappern Civility Award, New Haven County Bar Association, 2021
Litigation Star, Benchmark Litigation, 2021-2023
Connecticut Super Lawyers® – Business Litigation, Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights and Utilities, 2008-2016, 2018-2019
New England Super Lawyers® – Business Litigation, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2016
Good Scout Award, Connecticut Boy Scouts Council, 2019
Community Leadership Award, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, 2016
Alexis de Tocqueville Award for service to the community, United Way of Greater New Haven, 2014
Citizen of the Year, Business New Haven 2013
Successfully negotiated a six-figure settlement in a mediation in which he represented a homeowner asserting a faulty construction claim against the general contractor.
Obtained dismissal of a federal court RICO action on behalf of an individual who had been sued by a Bankruptcy Trustee who had claimed that the client was a fraudulent transferee of assets formerly held by a party engaged in a Ponzi Scheme.
Successfully defended a commercial tenant in an eviction proceeding, by demonstrating that the landlord had failed to establish the tenant’s liability for unpaid rent.
Negotiated a seven-figure settlement on behalf of union members whose employer-nursing home had gone into bankruptcy and whose administrator had absconded with the members’ pension funds and health insurance premiums.
Successfully litigated utility company’s request for security deposit against commercial debtor in contested bankruptcy court proceeding in one of the first test cases under the revised Bankruptcy Code.
Represented a utility company that was victimized by a customer’s theft of natural gas services, ultimately negotiating a six-figure settlement for the company as part of the customer’s criminal plea agreement.
Successfully argued a case of first impression before the Connecticut Supreme Court, which held that a right of first refusal was not applicable in the context of an involuntary foreclosure sale.