NelsonThomas
Nelson Thomas is one of the founding partners of Thomas & Solomon LLP. He has more than two decades of experience counseling clients and representing them in court. Mr. Thomas’s experience involves successfully representing clients in complex employment class-action lawsuits; whistle-blower cases involving fraud on the government; and all types of individual workplace disputes, including illegal termination and harassment claims as well as actions to recover unpaid benefits for breaches of contract.
His practice also encompasses negotiating severance packages and advising clients on contractual issues as well as their rights in the workplace. He is a featured national speaker and author and leads panel discussions with judges and other lawyers on these issues. While his practice currently focuses on representing employees, he represented numerous employers at his previous firm—from large international companies to local entrepreneurial start-ups—acquiring a depth of experience that gives him an edge in litigating cases for employees.
In 2017, he had the 22nd largest settlement in the country and the fifth largest in New York State. The total settlements he has reached for his clients over his career exceed $200 million.
Mr. Thomas is an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association and a certified Federal Court mediator with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.
He has been selected by his peers to the New York Super Lawyers list from 2011 through the present and has received the Martindale–Hubbell AV Preeminent rating from 2009 through the present, signifying the highest level of professional excellence. In addition, he has served on the Board of Editors, American Bar Association Treatise, Fair Labor Standards Act, as Editor, American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Trial Techniques, and as a Contributing Editor, American Bar Association Treatise, Age Discrimination in Employment Law.
In 1999, the judges of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York awarded Mr. Thomas the Special Service Award for “his excellence in the vigorous representation of his clients.” In 2002, he received the 40 Under 40 Award, which honors leaders who have made a significant contribution to the Rochester community.
Education
- University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, Virginia
J.D., 1993 - Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
B.A., summa cum laude, 1990
Work History
- Founding Partner – Thomas & Solomon LLP,
2000 – present (employment law for employees) - Nixon Peabody LLP
1993 – 2000 (employment law for management)
Specialty/Subject Matter Experience
- Represented both management and employees in all aspects of employment law—generally in litigation. Gained extensive class-action experience.
Professional Achievements
- WDNY Certified Federal Court Mediator – 2012–Present
Over 25 hours certified training - Faculty, Law Education Institute
We Need to Talk: 3 Issues Each That Advanced-Level Practitioners Don’t Focus on Enough
Deposing a Hostile Witness – Tips for Breaking Through the Façade
Strategic Use of Motions in Limine
Criminal Record Discrimination and Ban the Box Initiatives
Primer on the False Claims Act
The Latest on the Social Media Impact on Labor and Employment Law Issues
How Social Media Impacts the Workplace
Ethics and Employment Law
Handling the First 90 Days of Litigation - Speaker, New York State Bar Association
How to Handle Wage and Hour Class Action Lawsuits
Federal Civil Practice: A Primer - Speaker, Council on Education and Management
The Four-Headed Monster: The FMLA, Workers’ Compensation, the ADA and the New York Human Rights Law Overview of Discrimination Litigation - Speaker, Industrial Management Council
Ten Ways to Avoid a Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
How Management Can Prevent Employment Discrimination Claims
Anatomy of a Discrimination Case - Speaker, National Business Institute
The New FLSA Overtime Regulations - Speaker, American Conference Institute
Point/Counterpoint: Plaintiff and Defense Lawyers Analyze the Newest Claims and What’s Coming Down the Pike
View from the Plaintiffs’ Bar: Adapting Your Defense Strategies to New and Innovative Wage and Hour Claims
View from the Plaintiffs’ Bar on Wage & Hour Claims and Class Actions
View from the Plaintiffs’ Bar: Adapting Your Defense Strategies to New and Innovative
Techniques and Tactics
Views from the Plaintiffs’ Bar: Adapting Your Strategies to New and Innovative Techniques and Tactics - Panel Leader, American Conference Institute
Views from the Bench: What Works and What Doesn’t in Their Courtrooms, Why Employers Succeed and Don’t Succeed in Wage & Hour Litigation, Novel Trial and Case Management Strategies, Examples of Bad Lawyering, Judicial Perspectives on Class Certification, and More
Published Works
- Editor and Board of Editors, American Bar Association Treatise, Fair Labor Standards Act
- Editor, American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Trial Techniques
- Contributing Editor, American Bar Association Treatise, Age Discrimination in Employment Law
- Virginia Journal of Law and Politics
- American Bar Association Publications, including Staying on Top of Your Game
Honors
- Special Service Award, awarded by the judges of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, 1999
- 40 Under 40 Award, 2002
- New York Super Lawyers, 2011–Present
- AV Martindale–Hubble – High Ethical Standing – Preeminent, 2009–Present
Professional Associations and Memberships
- American Bar Association
- New York State Bar Association
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Monroe County Bar Association
- National Employment Lawyers Association
- American Association of Trial Attorneys
- American Arbitration Association
Pro Bono Activities
- Harley School Board of Trustees
- Upstate New York Representative of The University of Virginia Law School Foundation
- Mock Trial Coach for the Monroe County Bar Association
- Volunteer attorney for Volunteer Legal Services
- Professional Advisory Committee, Self Help for Hard of Hearing People
Bar Admissions
- New York
- Pennsylvania
