Tom is frequently called when business relationships fracture and disputes escalate toward trial, particularly in matters involving founder disputes, ownership conflicts, governance breakdowns, post-merger disputes, and the misappropriation of valuable intellectual property assets. Known for his disciplined narrative approach and strategic trial judgment, Tom is often brought in as lead trial counsel when cases become contested and high-risk.

With more than 25 years of litigation experience, Tom has tried and litigated complex matters across the country and has secured significant outcomes for clients in courts nationwide, including multimillion-dollar verdicts and trial victories. Clients describe him as “incredibly experienced,” “always out ahead of the other side,” and their “first choice” when the stakes are highest.

Governance, Founder, and Ownership Disputes

A significant portion of Tom’s practice involves conflicts over who controls an enterprise. Founders, CEOs, and investors turn to him to resolve disputes involving freeze-outs, contested ownership interests, post-merger conflicts, and governance breakdowns that threaten the future of a company.

These matters often arise from failed partnerships, founder disputes, or breakdowns in trust between business principals. Tom is frequently engaged when litigation becomes unavoidable and the outcome may determine the future direction or ownership of the enterprise.

Entertainment, Media, and Intellectual Property Litigation

Tom is widely recognized for his work in entertainment and media litigation, where disputes often involve both intellectual property rights and business control issues.

He represents clients across the film, television, music, publishing, and digital media industries in matters involving copyright, trademark, and patent disputes, rights of publicity, defamation, licensing conflicts, and other complex media litigation. His clients have included creators, artists, production companies, distributors, and media executives navigating high-stakes legal conflicts.

Technology and Innovation Disputes

Tom also represents clients in technology-driven disputes involving intellectual property, software platforms, and digital businesses.

Before becoming a lawyer, he worked as a software developer and programmer, giving him an unusual level of fluency in the technical issues underlying many modern business disputes. He has successfully litigated patent, licensing, copyright, trademark, and trade secret matters involving software developers, hardware designers, gaming companies, and technology entrepreneurs.

Negotiation and Strategic Resolution

Although known for his trial work, Tom is also a skilled negotiator who frequently resolves high-stakes disputes through strategic settlement and dealmaking. He has structured and negotiated agreements involving film production, financing, distribution, recording agreements, and publishing arrangements.

Representative Cases

• Obtained a $26,276,752 unanimous jury verdict in September 2024 in federal court on behalf of a high-net-worth client in a complex elder abuse, fraud, and legal malpractice action, including $15 million in punitive damages.
• Serving as lead trial counsel in the first major copyright infringement trial involving fair use of viral YouTube videos, after closing arguments, Tom obtained a favorable settlement on behalf of his YouTuber client.
• In a case to determine ownership of a championship race car, Tom obtained a unanimous jury verdict in favor of his client.
• In an arbitration involving a scientific-testing laboratory in the cannabis industry where the former CEO and board chair was falsely accused of malfeasance, he obtained a defense victory for the ex-CEO.
• In a Delaware Chancery Court trial after two co-founders improperly stripped the other founder of his shares, he obtained a favorable ruling restoring his client’s ownership stake.
• In a #MeToo lawsuit involving a media executive who was falsely accused of sexual misconduct, he obtained a dismissal that completely exonerated his client.
• In a $2 million defamation case brought against a congressional candidate in Federal District Court, he obtained a dismissal on an anti-SLAPP motion and won an award of fees for his client. After the plaintiff appealed the decision, Tom prevailed again in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, when that court affirmed the District Court’s decision.
• In a multimillion-dollar post-merger dispute involving the buyer’s refusal to pay earnouts to the seller, Tom obtained a victory for the seller.

Beyond the Courtroom

Outside the office, Tom is a competitive distance runner and former U.S. Masters swimmer. He is a former Editorial Board Member of Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine, served as co-chair of the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s Litigation Section, and was the Barrister President of the Beverly Hills Bar Association.