Vic Thomas is litigation counsel with the King & Spalding’s Houston office and is a member of the firm’s Texas Appellate Team that, over the past six years, has reduced verdicts and judgments against the firm’s clients by many millions of dollars. He has over 25 years of appellate and trial experience in both personal injury and business litigation. He has been board certified in civil appellate law with the Texas Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of Texas since 1988. He served as a Research Attorney for the Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Houston, Texas from 1983 through 1985, assigned only to complex civil appeals. Mr. Thomas uses his insider’s knowledge of the appellate decision-making process to structure his briefs. He has received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell for the past 11 years.
Mr. Thomas often works on appeals that are referred to him by trial lawyers outside of his firm. In fact, a prominent trial attorney with another firm wrote in a letter: “I have told my partners that they should never do an appellate brief without Mr. Thomas’ assistance.”
Mr. Thomas also represents clients at trial when there is a potential for a large judgment, providing daily trial reports of any reversible error. He assists at trial with preserving complaints for appeal, venire challenges, evidentiary objections, expert challenges, jury charges, and motions for directed verdict. During the last three years, he has participated in six jury trials (totaling 17 weeks).
Practice Areas
- representing clients in civil appeals and mandamus proceedings in both state and federal appellate courts;
- assisting at trial with preserving complaints for appeal;
- jury charges and charge conferences;
- expert witness challenges
- motions in limine and evidentiary objections at trial:
- complex legal research and trial briefs;
- jurisdictional and dispositive motions, including summary judgment, directed verdict; special appearances challenging personal jurisdiction, and venue;
- motions for application of foreign law;
- findings of fact and conclusions of law and judgments;
- post verdict motions - new trials, judgments n.o.v. and attorney’s fees; and
- vacatur of arbitration awards.
Mr. Thomas has recent experience with claims for negligence, products liability, premises liability, wrongful death, medical malpractice, breach of contract, oil and gas law, theft of trade secrets, validity of patents and patent infringement, federal and state securities laws, oppression of minority shareholder, fraud, tortious interference with contracts, and breach of fiduciary duty.
Publications
- “Cellphones can be perilous to employers,” Houston Business Journal, August 12, 2011.
- “New Trial Orders by Texas Trial Courts are now Subject to Review by Mandamus,” Client Alert, August 26, 2009.
- “Tortious Interference Arising from Filing or Threatening to File a Lawsuit: The Privilege Defense in Flux,” The Houston Lawyer; September/October, 2003.
- “The 1979 Amendments Revolutionized the Texas Statutes of Limitations. But it was Not Recognized Until Almost 11 Years Later,” Texas Bar Journal, Vol. 54, No. 4, April, 1991.
Memberships
- State Bar of Texas
- State Bar of Texas Appellate Section
- Houston Bar Association
- Houston Bar Association Appellate Section
- Director and Member of the Texas Association of Board Certified Trial and Appellate Specialists
