Tom was born and raised in Nebraska and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1985. Tom attended Syracuse University College of Law in Syracuse, New York, receiving his J.D. with Magna Cum Laude honors in 1988, ranking number 16 in his graduating class of 270 law students. Tom received numerous awards and accolades for high scholastic achievement, including highest honors in Trial Advocacy, Products Liability, and Constitutional Law. Tom was also a Notes and Comments editor for the Syracuse University Journal of International Law and Commerce. In addition, Tom was a member of The Order of the Coif and The Justinian Honorary Law Society.
Tom’s legal career began with the Wall Street law firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in New York, NY. While at Cadwalader, Tom assisted in the prosecution of multi-million dollar fraud actions on behalf of the firm’s insurance industry clients and was extensively involved in numerous large-scale white collar crime matters.
Tom returned to Nebraska in 1999 to accept the position of Assistant Attorney General with the Nebraska Department of Justice in Lincoln, Nebraska. His responsibilities included the prosecution of violent crime, including several murder cases, and numerous cases involving manslaughter, rape, false imprisonment, and weapon charges. Tom also prosecuted hundreds of cases involving major drug offenses, including possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and the manufacture of controlled substances.
In 2001, Tom became an Assistant City Prosecutor for the City of Omaha. Tom was responsible for the prosecution of thousands of cases each year including DUI offenses, concealed weapon charges, sex offenses, driving during suspension, along with any and all other criminal cases handled by the City Attorney’s Office.
Since leaving the Omaha City Prosecutor’s Office in 2004, Tom has been in private practice, focusing solely on criminal defense, and he has represented thousands of clients charged with extremely serious crimes. These cases include successfully defending clients charged with first degree murder, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, robbery, sexual assault, burglary, arson, and theft offenses. Tom also is considered one of the premier DUI attorneys in the state of Nebraska, representing hundreds of clients per year who are charged with misdemeanor and felony DUI.
Tom is generally considered as one of the most competent and skilled criminal defense attorneys in the Omaha area and has been involved in the representation of clients involved in many of the more higher-profile criminal cases in the Omaha area over the past several years.