Attorneys

Tom Rhodes is the firm's Senior Trial Counsel and Managing Partner. Mr. Rhodes has over 27 years of extensive trial experience. As a founding partner of Lyons & Rhodes, P.C. and, later, Rhodes & Vela, L.L.P., Tom Rhodes has practiced in the field of civil trial litigation of the plaintiffs bar for his entire career. His aggressive discovery preparation and trial strategy skills are recognized by his peers at both the State and National level. He has the ability to negotiate and litigate complex legal, technical, and scientific issues to achieve the bottom line for his clients results.

Mr. Rhodes is frequently asked by other firms to associate on cases as trial counsel. Mr. Rhodes believes in achieving and maximizing results for his clients at the highest ethical and professional standards. He has received numerous honors and awards, and is a nationally recognized speaker and author on trial strategy and jury argument.

Prior to forming the Tom Rhodes Law Firm, Tom was a partner in Rhodes & Vela, LLP. He has been named one of the "Best Lawyers in America" every year since 2001 and in 2008 was named one of the "Best Lawyers in Texas". He has also been named a "Texas Super Lawyer" in Texas Monthly magazine by his peers for every year since the award's inception in 2003. In 2006 he was also ranked as one of the top 50 lawyers in Central & West Texas by Texas Monthly magazine, and a "Top 100 Lawyer" in the State of Texas (Texas has approximately 50,000 lawyers).

Mr. Rhodes graduated, with highest honors, from Southwest Texas State University in 1977 and received his J.D. from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1980. He is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and is a past president of the San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association.

Mr. Rhodes has tried a variety of cases resulting in significant jury verdicts including the third highest nursing home jury verdict in United States history. In 2006, Mr. Rhodes was lead counsel in the third largest jury verdict in the United States (Lawyers USA) for the family of a nursing home resident against two (2) parent corporations and the regional and local administration. Rosamarie Paradez, as the Administrator and Heir at Law of the Estate of Tranquilino Mendoza, Deceased v. Summit Care Corp., Summit Care Texas, L.P., d/b/a Comanche Trail Nursing Center, Sylvia Casas, Individually, and Robert Gundling, Individually. Mr. Rhodes and his team of lawyers from Rhodes Vela have recently concluded two (2) large patent infringement cases resulting in significant confidential settlements on behalf of the patent holders against National and International corporations. He is presently engaged in litigation ranging from municipality and school district construction contingent fee litigation, and contingent fee intellectual property litigation involving some of the largest multi-national companies in the World.

While the major portion of Mr. Rhodes' litigation and successes prior to 2000 consisted almost exclusively of personal injury and medical malpractice litigation, he has successfully translated his trial strategies and skills into the areas of complex commercial litigation, intellectual property litigation, and construction litigation. He has significant experience in handling multi-client cases.

Mr. Rhodes is admitted to practice in the following courts: Tennessee courts, Texas courts, United States District Courts for the Western, Southern, and Eastern Districts of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.