Terri Thomas is a partner in Shutts & Bowen's Tampa office, where she practices in the firm's Litigation Department. Immediately prior to joining Shutts & Bowen, Ms. Thomas was Senior Corporate Counsel at a national office imaging company, where she managed the company's nationwide litigation portfolio. During this time, she negotiated national vendor and commercial lease agreements, assisted the sales management in day-to-day operations, prepared accounting reserve reports and assisted with all facets of national and local litigation and arbitration.
Ms. Thomas' litigation experience also includes commercial foreclosures, banking litigation, general contractor/municipal/owner construction litigation, personal injury work, and insurance defense.
Prior to serving as in-house counsel, Ms. Thomas was a corporate, commercial and construction litigator/trial attorney. She gained her early experience as a commercial and construction litigator by defending both large and small businesses against contract and tort claims, throughout Collier, Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Ms. Thomas expanded her construction portfolio by later representing municipalities/owners in bringing actions on their behalf for large-scale construction defect and mold claims in Pinellas and Citrus Counties. Ms. Thomas' early employment with a full service law firm exposed her to multiple areas of practice and provided an excellent foundation to enable her to meet a myriad of corporate needs. These areas include: premises liability, breach of contract claims, corporate dissolution actions, and multiple complex corporate contract disputes. She holds the distinction of sitting second chair in one of the largest Pinellas County plaintiff personal injury verdicts, and participating in one of the largest bankruptcy matters in the Middle District.
Prior to passing the Florida Bar, Ms. Thomas completed an externship with the Chief Bankruptcy Judge of the Middle District, Judge Paul Glenn. She is a member of the Florida Bar, the Hillsborough County Bar and the Pinellas County Bar Associations. Ms. Thomas is also an University of Florida Alumnus, having received her J.D., with Honors in 2000. She received her Bachelor of Arts, with the Highest Distinction designation from Penn State University/Behrend. Ms. Thomas is admitted to practice in Florida State Courts and the U.S. District Court, Middle District.
Ms. Thomas is a second career attorney with significant prior business experience in the securities industry as a syndicate manager and compliance officer, bringing companies public on the American Stock Exchange and NASDAQ Exchange. While in college, she worked part-time as an assistant debate coach, coaching team debate for a nationally recognized private academy. Upon graduation, Ms. Thomas worked as a teacher and head debate coach at the same high school, servicing a 25+ student nationally ranked high school debate program.
Ms. Thomas is a firm believer in providing full service, customer service to clients, including acting as both a legal advisor as to the law and a general advisor/counselor as to business practices.
Education
- University of Florida, J.D., with honors, 2000
- Penn State University, B.A., Political Science/Business, with highest distinction
Bar Admissions
- The Florida Bar
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court, Middle District
Affiliations
- The Florida Bar, Member Benefits Committee
- Member of the Board, Risk Management Association ("RMA"), Tampa Bay Chapter
