James D. Thomas leads the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, a team of more than 200 trial lawyers. In addition to his leadership role, Mr. Thomas maintains an active trial docket. He is based in the firm’s Miami office and also maintains an office in Cleveland, having represented clients in Ohio for several years before transitioning to the Miami office and assuming the role as chair of the firm’s litigation practice. Mr. Thomas rejoined Squire Sanders in 1999 after serving four years as a US magistrate judge in the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio. Prior to his service on the bench, he was a litigation associate in the Columbus office of Squire Sanders. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

As a magistrate judge, Mr. Thomas gained extensive and invaluable experience with federal trial matters. His docket included both civil and criminal cases, and he developed a significant consent docket, where he presided as the trial judge in a number of civil cases in which the parties consented to his jurisdiction for all proceedings and entry of final judgment. His service as a judge included hundreds of hours of courtroom time for motion and evidentiary hearings, and presided over settlement and mediation conferences in civil cases.

Since returning to the firm, Mr. Thomas’ practice is focused on complex business litigation, business restructuring-related litigation and white collar corporate investigations. His business litigation experience includes representation of a software company on breach of contract and fraud claims, representation of an Ohio-based health insurer in operational and ERISA-related matters, and ongoing general commercial litigation matters including bench and jury trial work.

Mr. Thomas’ experience in business restructuring-related litigation includes the complex corporate finance and valuation issues as lead litigation lawyer for the debtor in the then largest nonprofit Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings, serving as member of a litigation team in representation of a Las Vegas-based airline under Chapter 11, acting as lead litigation lawyer in the restructuring of a nationally recognized truck rental company, and acting as lead litigation partner in the successful reorganization of the two largest merchant power plants in the United States with US$3 billion in debt and equity interests.

His experience in white collar corporate investigations includes representing clients in response to government investigations as well as internal investigations.