Thomas R. Watson

Thomas Watson maintains a national practice that focuses on representing clients in high-stakes complex commercial, class action, pharmaceutical and medical device litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country.

He has been a member of several high-profile trial teams for cases receiving national attention and has extensive arbitration and mediation experience before various arbitration/mediation bodies (including the AAA and JAMS).

Thomas has been named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers.

Admissions

• California
• New York
• U.S. District Court, Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
• U.S. Supreme Court

Community Involvement

• Little League T-Ball Manager

• Co-Lead counsel on several putative class actions alleging false or misleading advertising in violation of both state and federal consumer protection laws.

• Co-Lead counsel for three medical device manufacturers defending against claims for design, manufacturing, and warning defect brought by consumers throughout the United States.

• Counsel for a national credit union defending against fraud, identify theft, and credit reporting claims.

• Defended officers and directors of a television production company involving breach of fiduciary duty and misappropriation claims.

• Defended officers and directors of an apparel design company in litigation asserting breach of contract and fraud claims.

• Secured a preliminary injunction against a former manager accused of misappropriating trade secrets for an international delivery business.

• Secured a temporary restraining order against a former employee accused of misappropriating trade secrets for a global optical communication company;

• Obtained summary judgment of invalidity of a purported trademark asserted against a leading computer aided design company;

• Assisted in the recovery of billions in settlements from the world’s largest banks for their alleged misrepresentations in connection with the offering of residential mortgage backed securities; and

• Participated in a large and very high profile patent and trademark trial involving smart phones.

Education

J.D., cum laude, University of San Francisco School of Law, 2003

B.A., Double Major in Political Science with a Public Service Emphasis and Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2000

Honors

Best Lawyers in America© distinction in Commercial Litigation (2023-2025)

Super Lawyers Northern California Rising Star (2010-2013)