Overview

Thomas is a trademark attorney in the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. His practice focuses on the acquisition, enforcement, and litigation of intellectual property rights, particularly related to trademarks and copyrights, both domestically and internationally.

Experience

Solutions in action

Prior to joining Michael Best, Thomas was a federal prosecutor at the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). At the DOJ, he litigated civil, criminal, and appellate cases for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin before assuming a role prosecuting white collar criminal offenses for the DOJ’s Tax Division in Washington, D.C.

Thomas also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Roger L. Wollman at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and to the Honorable Roberto A. Lange at the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota. He began his legal career in the Washington, D.C. office of a large international law firm, where he represented clients in trademark enforcement and litigation matters.

Credentials

  • University of Wisconsin Law School, Juris Doctor (J.D.), Editor, Wisconsin International Law Journal; Moot Court Executive Board; Class Commencement Speaker, 2007, Order of the Coif
  • Cornell University, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), 2004, with distinction

  • District of Columbia
  • Wisconsin
  • Illinois
  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
  • United States District Court, District of Columbia
  • United States District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin
  • United States District Court, Central and Northern Districts of Illinois

  • The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals – World Trademark Review 1000, 2025
  • Powerlist – Business Defense, Wisconsin Law Journal, 2025

Engagement

  • Member, International Trademark Association, International Amicus Committee

  • Milwaukee County Historical Society Board of Directors
  • Cornell Club of Wisconsin Board of Directors

Insights