Overview
Thomas L. Shriner, Jr. is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP. Tom concentrates his practice in commercial, corporate, and public law litigation and has an extensive appellate practice in both state and federal courts. He also has substantial experience in the bankruptcy courts. Tom is a member of the firm’s Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Appellate, and Bankruptcy & Business Reorganizations Practices.
Tom has litigated disputes over business acquisitions and shareholder disputes. He represents banks in lender liability and loan participation cases. He has litigated agreements not to compete; pension, insurance, and dealership disputes; real estate and water rights cases; and a variety of claims under the UCC. Tom’s public law experience includes defendants' and plaintiffs' cases under the major civil rights statutes, including defending large class actions, and several plaintiffs’ cases under the Fair Housing Act.
Recognition
Tom has been peer review rated as AV Preeminent®, the highest performance rating in the Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ system.
Tom has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the fields of Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights law (1993-2011, 2023), Bet-the-Company Litigation (2009-2023), Commercial Litigation (1993-2023), Litigation - Banking and Finance (2011-2023), Litigation - Bankruptcy (2011-2023), Litigation - Real Estate (2011-2023), Litigation - Antitrust (2015-2023), Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions (2016-2023) and Litigation - Securities (2015-2023).
Tom has been named the Best Lawyers® 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2019 Bet-the-Company Litigation "Lawyer of the Year" and the 2012 Litigation – Banking & Finance "Lawyer of the Year" in Milwaukee.
Tom has attained the top ranking in general commercial litigation from Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2003-2023), he was selected for inclusion in the 2005-2016 and 2021 Wisconsin Super Lawyers® lists, and he was recognized as a "Local Litigation Star" in Benchmark Litigation (2018). Tom was named as a 2010 Leader in the Law by the Wisconsin Law Journal.
In 2009, Tom received the Myron L. Gordon Lifetime Achievement Award from the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association and the Walter J. Cummings Award from the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, for his pro bono work in the Seventh Circuit. In 2011, Tom received the John Paul Stevens Pro Bono and Public Service Award from the Seventh Circuit Bar Association. In 2015, the American Inns of Court Foundation gave him its Professionalism Award for the Seventh Circuit.
Professional Memberships
Tom is member of the American Bar Association. He is a past president of the Seventh Circuit Bar Association. Tom is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Bar Foundation, and the Wisconsin Law Foundation.
Affiliations
He is a member of the board of curators of the Wisconsin Historical Society. Tom is an adjunct professor of law at Marquette University Law School, where he has co-taught advanced civil procedure, federal courts, and a Supreme Court seminar with Dean Joseph D. Kearney. Tom is a member of the Wisconsin Judicial Council, a statutorily authorized body that seeks to advance law reform in areas that affect the courts and judicial process, and he serves as chair of its Evidence and Civil Procedure committee.
Education
Tom is a graduate of Indiana University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1972; A.B., with distinction, 1969), where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and Phi Beta Kappa. In 1972-73, he served as law clerk to Judge John S. Hastings of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Admissions
Tom was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar in 1972. he is also admitted to the bars of the United States Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Seventh, Eighth, and Federal Circuits, the United States District Courts in Wisconsin and Colorado, and the United States Tax Court.