Tom Thanas joined the law firm in 2018 after a lengthy career in local government law in Illinois. Since joining the firm, Tom has developed a well-rounded local government practice. Tom has represented several Florida municipalities and other units of local government on a variety of local government matters and served as the city attorney of Dade City from 2019 to 2023. Tom has also served as a special magistrate and hearing officer for Florida municipalities and other units of local government in the Tampa Bay area.
Tom has spent much of his career serving as a city attorney and a private practitioner representing municipalities primarily in the Chicago area. In 2008, Tom was appointed to serve as the city manager of Joliet, the third largest city in Illinois. Tom was also appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve as a circuit judge in Will County where he presided over juvenile court and mortgage foreclosure court. In addition to his public sector experience, Tom served as regional counsel for Harrah’s Entertainment where he handled regulatory matters for the company’s Midwest casinos.
Tom has worked on big projects over his career. His experience includes work on a 4,000-acre intermodal global logistics project, a $50 million multimodal transportation center, a NASCAR track, two riverboat casinos, and the annexation and development of thousands of acres of commercial and residential property.
Tom’s experience includes handling litigation in federal and state courts, public procurement contracts, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, handling employment matters, dealing with open meetings act and freedom of information act matters, and handling bond issues, tax levies, and other public finance matters. As a local government lawyer, Tom has acquired a depth of knowledge in environmental, engineering, utilities, human resources, public finance, police, fire and paramedic service, and almost every aspect of the operation and management of local government.
