Michael P. Thomas, Partner of the Firm, concentrates his practice in the areas of Employment Law and Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Business and Corporate Law and Health Care Law. Additionally, Mr. Thomas is in charge of the Firm's attorney recruiting. Mike joined the firm in August, 2004, after practicing in Atlanta, Georgia.
Since returning to Hickory and joining Patrick Harper & Dixon, Mr. Thomas has concentrated his practice in Employment Law and Litigation and Commercial Litigation. Mike advises clients on Employment matters including non-compete agreements, shareholder agreements, employee handbooks, hiring and firing decisions and other employment practices. He presently serves as Secretary for the Catawba Valley chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management.
Mr. Thomas has represented both Plaintiffs and Defendants in Employment, Commercial, Construction, Real Estate, Business Torts, and other Business Disputes, as well as defending clients accused of causing personal injury. He routinely litigates in Federal Court, including adversarial proceedings connected to bankruptcy, and is admitted to practice in all three Federal Districts in North Carolina as well as the Fourth and Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition to his litigation work, Mr. Thomas advises clients on Health Care and Hospital Law and other business matters including federal law such as Intellectual Property and Anti-Trust.
Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Thomas served as law clerk to the Honorable Lacy H. Thornburg, United States District Judge for the Western District of North Carolina.
A Hickory native, Mr. Thomas was educated in the Hickory Public Schools. At Hickory High, Michael served in a number of leadership roles, including being named a Captain and the Most Valuable Player on the 1993 Football Team. He earned his undergraduate degree (A.B. 1998) from Princeton University, where he majored in History. At Princeton, he was a two year letterman in football and an active member of the Kappa Alpha Order, serving as its Number III Officer. He earned his law degree (J.D. 2001) from the Washington and Lee University School of Law.
While practicing in Atlanta with King & Spalding, LLP, Mr. Thomas took part in that firm's representation of multiple Fortune 500 companies in complex litigation in state, bankruptcy, and federal courts throughout the country, as well as consulting with that firm's transactional lawyers advising companies engaged in complex mergers and acquisitions.
Mr. Thomas is a member of the Catawba County, North Carolina, Georgia, and American Bar Associations. He is past president of the Catawba County Bar and past president of the Young Lawyers Committee of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys. He has presented continuing legal education programs on employment law and litigation skills through that group.
In the community, Mr. Thomas is a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. He graduated from Leadership Catawba program through the Chamber of Commerce, and served on the Planning Committee for that program. He is past president of the United Arts Council of Catawba County.
Mr. Thomas and his wife, Laura, live in Hickory with their sons, Mason and Emmett.
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