Biography
Tom Crawford is a trial lawyer who handles complex litigation and commercial disputes for corporate clients nationwide. As a veteran of the U.S. Army's Special Forces, he has an aptitude for operating in high-stakes environments. Tom approaches litigation the way he was trained for a mission, by understanding the client's needs, assessing the situation, evaluating exit strategy options, and executing. He has tried cases to verdict in state and federal courts across the country and has resolved consequential matters for his clients.
Tom's clients range from publicly traded global companies to regional businesses, public entities, and individuals. He handles matters with significant financial or reputational risks for self-insureds and insurers, including in product liability, construction, professional liability, premises liability, and commercial litigation.
Early in his career, Tom served as in-house claims counsel at CNA Insurance, providing strategic oversight on the company's high-exposure claims, including matters with precedent-setting implications and substantial media attention. He managed a portfolio that covered directors and officers liability, environmental mass torts, employment, healthcare, cyber, reinsurance, and extra-contractual risks. That experience informs Tom's approach to complex matters today, particularly in cases where coverage, exposure, and trial strategy are closely linked.
Representative Matters
- Prevailed on appeal for oil company after an underground gasoline storage tank was leaking and the fuel fumes caused an explosion at a condo complex where Plaintiff resided, resulting in Plaintiff sustaining second-degree burns and other injuries; the Supreme Court upheld the Trial Court and Appellate Court ruling that Plaintiff had a sufficient remedy in law for their injuries, and the Illinois EPA and LUST Program provide governmental enforcement for violations, and ruled in favor of our client.
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of condominium association and property management clients against Plaintiff who claimed they suffered an eye injury due to unsafe water chemical levels in our clients’ pool; after establishing that our clients fulfilled the duty of reasonable care and refuting claims of proximate cause, the Court granted our motion.
- Obtained defense jury verdict in legal malpractice involving a city Police Department shooting of an unarmed male who alleged excessive force when twice shot, then tasered, kicked and beat; the two-in-one case included whether Defendant failed to file a civil suit against the officers and whether the police officers used excessive force; the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on both the professional negligence and excessive force.
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of client against allegations of defamation, conspiracy and aiding and abetting of both defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress by arguing Plaintiff’s material facts were inadmissible hearsay and not permitted for consideration; the Court agreed, and held that summary judgment was warranted as to the conspiracy claim.
- Obtained a not guilty verdict in Baltimore City Circuit Court, Maryland for a contractor client against Plaintiff whose vehicle was struck by a pole gate that had swung into the street and into oncoming traffic, sustained serious injuries that later required a craniotomy, duroplasty and other medical procedures; after deliberations, the jury’s verdict found our contractor was not liable due to the co-defendant failing to install a lock and/or maintain the gate.
- Successfully defended an appeal in the Second Appellate District regarding the application of the Savings Clause (735 ILCS 5/13-207) wherein Appellant sought a reversal of the lower court ruling barred by the statute of limitations; the Illinois Supreme Court ruled in favor of our client and denied Appellant’s Petition for further appeal.
Services
Education
- Georgetown University Law Center (L.L.M, 1993)
- International and Comparative Law
- Thomas M. Cooley Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1992)
- University of Iowa (B.S., 1989)
Bar Admissions
Courts
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Torts and Insurance Section, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee, Former Vice-Chair
- Korean American Bar Association
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Honors
- Lawyers of Color “Nation's Best” (2019)
- Illinois Super Lawyers (2016-2026)
Military Service
- 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) 1982-1985
Charitable & Civic Involvement
- Former Board Member, Lifelink Corporation
- Leadership and Pro Bono Legal Services, Willow Creek Community Church
Presentations
- “How My Ancestors Helped Me Better Defend Cases,” 2024 National Forum for Environmental and Toxic Tort Issues (FETTI) Annual Conference (2024)
- Tom presents on various topics including e-commerce exposures, cyberspace jurisdiction, wrongful termination, successor liability and ethics.
- Tom regularly presents on insurance coverage topics including allocation, claims handling, and reading and understanding policies.
