E. THOMAS McCARTHY, JR.
Tom McCarthy is a member of Halpert, Weston, Wuori & Sawusch, P.C. where the focus of his trial practice is the representation of people who have suffered serious personal injuries or the death of family members. A trial lawyer since 1978, Tom has handled and tried a wide variety of cases. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Tom is also a past faculty member for the Hillman Trial Advocacy Program.
Prior to becoming a member of Halpert, Weston, Wuori & Sawusch, P.C in 2005, Tom was a shareholder at Smith, Haughey, Rice & Roegge, a large, defense oriented law firm, where he maintained a diverse trial practice for 27 years. During those years, Tom represented some of the largest corporations, manufacturers and insurers in America. Over time, Tom’s practice came to include the representation of people whose lives had been altered by catastrophic injury or the death of a loved one. At Halpert, Weston, Wuori & Sawusch, P.C., Tom devotes his trial practice to representing trauma survivors and other victims of personal injury and wrongful death.
In addition to his trial practice, Tom has worked as a neutral facilitative mediator since 1989. He serves as a mediator in litigated and non-litigated cases through court-annexed programs, by private arrangement, and at the Dispute Resolution Center of West Michigan. Tom received his training as a mediator through programs at Harvard Law School, the Dispute Resolution Center of West Michigan, and the United States District Court for Western District of Michigan. He was certified as a facilitative mediator by the Dispute Resolution Center of West Michigan in 1989, and the United States District court for the Western District of Michigan in 1995. Tom has participated in training mediators by serving as a presenter and coach in various mediation training programs. (Click here for summary of Tom's mediation training.)
Tom received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan where he graduated with High Distinction and was the recipient of Phi Beta Kappa and James B. Angell Scholar academic awards. He received his law degree (J.D.) from the University of Tennessee where he earned American Jurisprudence Awards in Contracts and Bills and Notes.
Tom is actively involved in professional activities. He is a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation and a member of the Jury Representation Committee of the Grand Rapids Bar Association. Tom was a member of the ADR Advisory Committee for the Kent County Circuit Court (General Civil Mediation Work Group) that developed the plan for the implementation of facilitative mediation in the Kent County Circuit Court and now serves on that Court’s ADR Plan Oversight Committee. He has been a speaker at seminars sponsored by various professional organizations, including The Institute of Continuing Legal Education.