Thomas R. Pack
Partner
Overview
Tom Pack represents businesses in product liability matters, intellectual property disputes, internal investigations, and in other complex business litigation. He helps clients navigate all stages of the litigation process throughout many forums, including federal and state courts, mediation, and arbitration. Tom has extensive experience with discovery, including complicated eDiscovery, and has prepared successful dispositive motions in several matters. He also maintains an active pro bono practice in the civil rights and immigration law fields, with an emphasis on representing LGBTQ+ asylum seekers. Before joining Maslon, Tom was a litigator in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
Tom is passionate about issues related to diversity and inclusion in the legal industry, and he is a member of Maslon's Diversity & Inclusion Committee and co-chairs Maslon's Diverse Attorneys' Resource Group. Tom also serves on the Young Lawyers Committee of the National Native American Bar Association, and in the Emerging Leaders Group for Twin Cities Diversity in Practice.
Tom graduated from Stanford Law School in 2012, where he was editor-in-chief of the Stanford Journal of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. While at Stanford, Tom served as president of the Native American Law Students Association, and he is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Tom earned his bachelor's degree in political science from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. He was named the university's top graduating senior and was the recipient of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship.
Prior to law school, Tom gained extensive experience in a variety of capacities relating to rural and American Indian/Alaska Native health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Experience
- Represents global leading medical device manufacturer in several external medical device tort matters in California state court and in various federal courts throughout the country.
- Assisted major automobile manufacturer in investigations related to security breach and intellectual property theft.
- Represented large manufacturer in patent litigation against competitor involving multiple patents and hundreds of claims.
- Represented one of the world's largest technology companies in software and hardware patent litigation, securing favorable settlements.
- East View Information Systems, Inc. v. Xigent Solutions, LLC (Minn. Ct. App. A17-2066). Secured full dismissal of all claims in a breach of contract matter, with the dismissal affirmed on appeal by the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
- Represented homebuyer in confidential arbitration proceedings and ancillary Minnesota district court litigation, in which the homebuyer alleged fraudulent nondisclosure of various defects in the home. Secured favorable arbitration award on the merits and subsequent settlement.
- SRI, Inc. v. Seapine Software, Inc., 3:16-cv-07353 (N.D. Cal.). Defended patent infringement claim, including substantial invalidity discovery, and secured favorable settlement.
- Kienholz v. Woodside Homes of Minnesota, Inc. (Minn. D. Ct. 86-cv-16-149). Secured full dismissal of all claims in a construction defect case; also secured dismissal of appeal.
- Bostic v. Schaefer, 2:13-cv-00395 (E.D. Va.), 14-1167 (4th Cir.). Represented the Plaintiffs in the lawsuit which successfully challenged Virginia’s constitutional and statutory bans on same-sex marriage, which served as a predicate case for invalidating similar bans throughout the Fourth Circuit.
Pro Bono
- Pro bono representation of LGBTQ+ people who sought to stay in the United States after fleeing anti-LGBTQ+ persecution in their home countries, referred by The Advocates for Human Rights.
Honors
Best LGBTQ+ Lawyer Under 40, National LGBT Bar Association, 2020
Attorney of the Year, Minnesota Lawyer, 2019
Business of Pride Honoree, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, 2019
Up & Coming Attorney, Minnesota Lawyer, 2018
Recognized on Minnesota Rising Stars list as part of the Super Lawyers® selection process, 2019-2020 (Minnesota Rising Stars is a designation given to only 2.5 percent of Minnesota attorneys each year, based on a selection process that includes the recommendation of peers in the legal profession.)
North Star Lawyer, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2017-2020 (North Star Lawyer is a designation that recognizes members who provide 50 hours or more of pro bono legal services in a calendar year.)
Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, 2021 (These awards recognize attorneys, who are earlier in their careers, for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States.)