P. Thomas DiStanisla ...

P. Thomas

DiStanislao

Overview

As a member of Butler Snow’s Products, Catastrophic and Industrial Litigation, Appellate and Written Advocacy, and Commercial Litigation practice groups, Thomas has experience defending clients across the country in all stages of litigation in both state and federal courts. Before joining Butler Snow, Thomas clerked for Judge G. Steven Agee on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Judge Henry E. Hudson on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Thomas finished first in his class at the University of Richmond School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the University of Richmond Law Review.  

Experience

  • Drafted preliminary and dispositive briefs and helped oversee discovery for an international medical device manufacturer in personal injury litigation where we served as national counsel.
  • Prepared domestic and international clients for depositions, including travel to Tokyo to prepare a witness through the use of translators.
  • Secured early dismissal for a medical device maker in a personal injury action arising from the use of a duodenoscope.
  • Obtained full dismissal for a product manufacturer defending claims of breach of contract and warranty.
  • Represented manufacturers in asbestos litigation, including taking the depositions of several plaintiffs.
  • Won early dismissal for a plastics manufacturer on personal jurisdiction grounds in an asbestos suit.
  • Devised litigation strategy employed by a client facing novel tort claims related to global warming.
  • Secured a full dismissal with prejudice in a premises liability case without noticing an appearance.

Distinctions

  • Up & Coming Lawyer, Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 2023

Bar Admissions

  • Virginia, 2016
  • U.S. District Courts
    • Virginia: Eastern, Western
  • U.S. Court of Appeals
    • 4th Circuit
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Education

  • University of Richmond School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, 2016
    • Member, Order of the Coif
    • J. Westwood Smithers Medal for having the highest cumulative grade point average of the graduating class
    • Cudlipp Medal for having the highest cumulative grade point average at the end of the second year
    • T.C. Williams Law School Scholarship Award for making the most significant contribution to overall legal scholarship
    • Editor-in-Chief, University of Richmond Law Review
    • Vice President for Speakers, The Federalist Society
    • Member, Omicron Delta Kappa, National Leadership Honor Society
    • Member, McNeill Law Society, University of Richmond’s Legal Honor Society
    • CALI Award for Excellence in Appellate Courts, Civil Litigation, Constitutional Jurisprudence, Federal Courts, Legal History, and Remedies 
  • Wake Forest University, B.A., Religious Studies, cum laude, 2011
  • Clerkship, Honorable G. Steven Agee, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2019-2022
  • Clerkship, Honorable Henry E. Hudson, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, 2016-2017

Associations

  • Virginia Bar Association
    • Appellate Practice Section
  • Federalist Society
  • John Marshall Center
    • Member
  • Richmond Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association
    • Richmond Chapter
  • American Bar Association
    • Litigation Section
    • Young Lawyers Division
  • John Marshall Inn of Court
    • Member

Papers, Presentations & Publications

Civic Involvement

  • Elected Member of the Anglican Diocese of Christ Our Hope’s Constitution and Canons Committee
  • Adjunct Professor of Advanced Legal Writing, Spring 2022 Semester, Washington & Lee University School of Law

P. Thomas

DiStanislao

Overview

As a member of Butler Snow’s Products, Catastrophic and Industrial Litigation, Appellate and Written Advocacy, and Commercial Litigation practice groups, Thomas has experience defending clients across the country in all stages of litigation in both state and federal courts. Before joining Butler Snow, Thomas clerked for Judge G. Steven Agee on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Judge Henry E. Hudson on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Thomas finished first in his class at the University of Richmond School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the University of Richmond Law Review.  

Experience

  • Drafted preliminary and dispositive briefs and helped oversee discovery for an international medical device manufacturer in personal injury litigation where we served as national counsel.
  • Prepared domestic and international clients for depositions, including travel to Tokyo to prepare a witness through the use of translators.
  • Secured early dismissal for a medical device maker in a personal injury action arising from the use of a duodenoscope.
  • Obtained full dismissal for a product manufacturer defending claims of breach of contract and warranty.
  • Represented manufacturers in asbestos litigation, including taking the depositions of several plaintiffs.
  • Won early dismissal for a plastics manufacturer on personal jurisdiction grounds in an asbestos suit.
  • Devised litigation strategy employed by a client facing novel tort claims related to global warming.
  • Secured a full dismissal with prejudice in a premises liability case without noticing an appearance.

Distinctions

  • Up & Coming Lawyer, Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 2023

Bar Admissions

  • Virginia, 2016
  • U.S. District Courts
    • Virginia: Eastern, Western
  • U.S. Court of Appeals
    • 4th Circuit
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Education

  • University of Richmond School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, 2016
    • Member, Order of the Coif
    • J. Westwood Smithers Medal for having the highest cumulative grade point average of the graduating class
    • Cudlipp Medal for having the highest cumulative grade point average at the end of the second year
    • T.C. Williams Law School Scholarship Award for making the most significant contribution to overall legal scholarship
    • Editor-in-Chief, University of Richmond Law Review
    • Vice President for Speakers, The Federalist Society
    • Member, Omicron Delta Kappa, National Leadership Honor Society
    • Member, McNeill Law Society, University of Richmond’s Legal Honor Society
    • CALI Award for Excellence in Appellate Courts, Civil Litigation, Constitutional Jurisprudence, Federal Courts, Legal History, and Remedies 
  • Wake Forest University, B.A., Religious Studies, cum laude, 2011
  • Clerkship, Honorable G. Steven Agee, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2019-2022
  • Clerkship, Honorable Henry E. Hudson, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, 2016-2017

Associations

  • Virginia Bar Association
    • Appellate Practice Section
  • Federalist Society
  • John Marshall Center
    • Member
  • Richmond Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association
    • Richmond Chapter
  • American Bar Association
    • Litigation Section
    • Young Lawyers Division
  • John Marshall Inn of Court
    • Member

Papers, Presentations & Publications

Civic Involvement

  • Elected Member of the Anglican Diocese of Christ Our Hope’s Constitution and Canons Committee
  • Adjunct Professor of Advanced Legal Writing, Spring 2022 Semester, Washington & Lee University School of Law