Tom is the President and Managing Partner of Holmes Legal Services, focusing his practice on business and education law. Tom has spent his entire legal career representing small and mid-size businesses, public school districts, educational service centers, and other educational entities throughout Ohio in various labor, employment, and contractual matters. Through his extensive experience, Tom is able to help clients identify legal concerns early and resolve them as efficiently and inexpensively as possible.

A skilled litigator, Tom has served as lead counsel in every aspect of the litigation process, participating in numerous hearings, trials, and appeals before federal and state trial and appellate courts, as well as the Supreme Court of Ohio. Furthermore, Tom has represented business and educational clients at grievance and arbitration hearings, and has successfully defended them against workers’ compensation and unemployment compensation claims, unfair labor practice charges, and discrimination complaints.

Tom also has considerable experience advising clients on a variety of construction issues, such as those pertaining to competitive bidding requirements, the hiring of architects, construction managers, and contractors, contract negotiations, design and construction defects, change orders, delay claims, and mechanics liens.

Additionally, Tom has negotiated numerous collective bargaining agreements on behalf of school districts and has participated in various proceedings before Ohio’s State Employment Relations Board pertaining to labor disputes. Tom has also represented school districts in real estate tax valuation disputes before county boards of revision and the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals.

Tom is a frequent lecturer at conferences, seminars, and in-service training sessions on unique legal issues affecting his client base.  Prior to establishing Holmes Legal Services, Tom was a partner at Pepple & Waggoner, Ltd. (2001-2016) and at Day Ketterer, Ltd. (2016-2018). When not practicing law, Tom spends his free time enjoying the outdoors with his wife and five sons and coaching a variety of youth sports in the Chagrin Falls, Bainbridge Township, and Auburn Township areas. Tom is extensively involved in the Kenston youth tackle football program and currently serves as its board president.