Community Service

Columbus Bar Foundation

On June 9, 2016, Tom was sworn in as President of the Board of Trustees of the Columbus Bar Foundation, Tom has served on the Board since 2008. He was Secretary-Treasurer in 2013-2014 and Vice President in 2014-2015.

The Columbus Bar Foundation is dedicated to promoting understanding of the law, the role of the legal profession and access to justice for all. Through grants, the Foundation provides seed money and support for a variety of programs aligned with its mission. Consistent with its mission, the Foundation has funded:

  • $110,000 in scholarships to female and minority law students through the Schermer Scholarship Fund
  • More than $510,000 to the Legal Aid Society of Columbus to help children and victims of domestic violence with the Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence
  • More than $600,000 to operate Lawyers for Justice, the Bar’s pro bono program, helping hundreds of people annually since 1989
  • The annual Chester Professionalism Institute
  • Capital University Law School Program for Advanced Dispute Resolution Education
  • The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Clinic’s Pro Bono Partnership Child Representation Program
  • More than $400,000 to the Center for Child and Family Advocacy at Children’s Hospital

ACTL’s National Moot Court Competition

Tom has been a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) since 1998. The ACTL is an invitation only fellowship of exceptional trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds from the United States and Canada that was founded in 1952. 

In 2004, Tom became a member of the ACTL’s National Moot Court Competition Committee. The National Moot Court Competition (“Competition”) is a historic nationwide law student appellate advocacy competition conducted annually cosponsored by the ACTL and the New York City Bar. The Competition allows student advocates to hone their appellate advocacy skills before prominent members of the legal profession. Every year, more than 120 law schools compete in regional rounds throughout the United States, with winners advancing to final rounds at the New York City Bar.

Tom served as Vice Chair of the National Moot Court Competition Committee in 2008 and 2009 and Chair of the Committee in 2010 through 2013. As Vice Chair and Chair of the Committee, Tom was a judge in the national semifinal rounds in New York City in 2009 through 2013. In 2015, Tom and Kegler Brown stepped in to serve as host of the Region 6 Competition in Columbus.

McCoy Center for the Arts

Tom currently serves as Chair of the McCoy Center’s Board of Directors. He joined the Board in 2014 and previously served as Vice Chair.

The McCoy Center for the Arts is a state of the art theatre and related performing arts complex located in New Albany, Ohio, a Columbus suburb where Tom and his family live. In November 2013, Tom gave a piano recital in classical music there. The mission of the McCoy Center is to inspire and enrich lives by fostering lifelong learning opportunities and an appreciation of the arts and culture through education, entertainment, participation and collaboration. The McCoy Center works closely with the New Albany schools to provide opportunities for students in the school district to participate in and be exposed to arts education as a basic component of a comprehensive public school education.