Retired
In Thomas J. Spellman, Jr.’s 40 years of trial practice, he has successfully tried cases involving: road design; products liability; discrimination based on gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, race; excessive force by police; construction site accidents; premises liability (including trip and fall); automobile; school district liability (including supervision, special education students, and accidents resulting in personal injury); intentional torts of assault and battery, malicious prosecution, false arrest and defamation (libel and slander); and negligence by individuals, corporations, municipal governments, and school districts in state and federal courts throughout the five boroughs of New York City and Long Island. Earlier experience includes the successful criminal defense of persons accused of manslaughter and burglary. Tom has also appeared in the Appellate Division, Second Department, the New York State Court of Appeals and the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He handles cases from the pre-complaint investigation phase through hearings, pleadings and discovery, motions, trials and finally, the appellate level.
Mr. Spellman has also handled many arbitrations as an attorney and as a Federal Arbitrator in the Eastern District of New York. In the past decade, Mr. Spellman has represented attorneys in disciplinary matters before the Appellate Division. His professional experience includes lecturing to the bar on legal ethics and trial techniques.
Bar Admissions:
Mr. Spellman was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1966. He is also admitted to the Eastern and Southern Districts of the U.S. District Court of New York; the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit; the U.S. Court of Military Appeals; and the U.S. Supreme Court Professional.
Areas of Practice:
- Products Liability
- Discrimination
- Premises Liability
- Personal Injury
- School Liability
- Intentional Torts
- Negligence
- Criminal Defense
Education:
- Fordham University School of Law, Bronx, New York, 1965, J.D.
- Fordham College, Bronx, New York, 1960, B.S.
Professional Associations and Memberships:
- American Bar Association
- House of Delegates, Torts & Insurance Practice Section, Member, 1992 – 1993
- Fellow American Bar Foundation
- New York State Bar Association
- Tenth Judicial District Member of House of Delegates, Former Vice President
- Former Nominating Committee Member
- Trial Lawyers Section, Member
- Executive Committee of Torts, Insurance Compensation Law Section
- New York Bar Foundation, Fellow
- New York State Trial Lawyers Association
- Defense Association of New York
- Defense Research Institute
- Suffolk County Bar Association, President, 1992-1993
- Former Chairman of Judiciary Committee
- Suffolk Academy of LawPast Chairman of Trial Lawyers Section of Nassau/Suffolk County Bar Associations, Trustee
- Member of Grievance (Lawyer Discipline) Committee of Tenth Judicial District, 1984-1992
