Shareholder
Columbus
41 South High Street
Huntington Center, 21st Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
P:
614.723.2006
614.723.2006
F: 614.463.9792
M:
614.325.5077
614.325.5077
E: [email protected] | vCard
Cleveland
Tom focuses his practice on construction law and civil litigation and leads Roetzel’s Construction Law practice, which has been recognized by US News & World Report as one of the best law firms nationally and regionally for construction and construction litigation from 2012 to 2025.
Tom is a Fellow in the American College of Construction Lawyers and served on its Board of Governors. He is a past Chair of the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law. He has been honored by Chambers USA as a leading construction lawyer in the State of Ohio since it began ranking US lawyers and law firms in 2003 and is presently listed in Band One for construction lawyers in Ohio. A recent edition of Chambers USA stated that Tom comes highly recommended for his skill in handling contentious matters. He is“esteemed for his broad expertise and has an impressive list of clients.” He has been selected as an “Ohio Super Lawyer” by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine every year since 2004. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for the specialty of construction law and was named "Lawyer of the Year" in construction law in Columbus, Ohio, for 2022. He is also recognized in International Who’s Who in Construction Law for his international construction law experience.
Tom is an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association, former chairperson of Division 4 - Project Delivery Systems, and former member of the Governing Committee of the American Bar Association, Forum on Construction Law, former chairperson of the Lawyers Group of the Builders Exchange of Central Ohio, former chairperson of the Construction Law Committee of the Columbus (Ohio) Bar Association, and a member of the Construction Law Committee of the Ohio State Bar Association. He has served as an arbitrator and mediator in construction disputes on projects of all sizes, and serves on the complex case panel as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association.
Tom has developed a niche practice that focuses on tunnels and other infrastructure work and has been General Counsel for the North American Microtunneling Association for 16 years.
He has also served as construction counsel on projects large and small. In this role, Tom can assist with obtaining financing, determine the project delivery system best suited for a project, and explore all options for project insurance and bonding. He also works with his clients to select construction managers, design professionals, and contractors and draft and negotiate construction-related contracts. Tom also helps establish risk matrixes and means to identify risks early in the project, mitigate risk, draft general conditions and other front-end documents, establish and assist with bidding procedures, act as construction counsel from beginning to completion and afterward of a project. The projects worked on are senior citizen centers, medical facilities, fracking plants, schools, office buildings, manufacturing plants, athletic facilities and others. The dollar values of these projects range from several hundred thousand dollars to hundreds of millions of dollars. The work and contract documents are always tailored to the specific needs and uses of the client.
Tom has successfully litigated construction cases in courts throughout Ohio and the Midwest and has a reputation as an excellent trial lawyer in the courtroom. According to Chambers USA, "Tom really understands the construction industry; he is a prominent litigator and trial lawyer,” and “is a strong lawyer, capable and always impressive; he has a good track record of resolving construction disputes,” and that “clients extol the consistency and thoroughness of his work." He is also a published author in Construction Litigation. Tom served as Content Editor, Contributing Author, and Author Coordinator on The Effective Use of Forensic Experts in Construction Litigation.