Thomas B. Vertetis, Class Action Attorney in Tacoma, Washington

As the first in his family to attend college, Tom Vertetis was inspired to attend law school based on the encouragement of his father. It was the clearest path to try and make a big difference in helping others. If waking up at 3 a.m. and emailing colleagues to share a new legal strategy is an indication, Tom clearly found his calling. With a passionate commitment to assisting victims in complex personal injury cases, including medical malpractice, wrongful death, sexual abuse, school liability, and civil rights claims, Tom works tirelessly to help those with the greatest needs.

Tom has consistently obtained success in the courtroom, including many multi-million-dollar plaintiff’s verdicts, having led more than 50 jury trials, as well as hundreds of significant settlements. He obtained a $165-million product liability jury verdict against Monsanto for six teachers and one custodian exposed to chemicals (PCBs) that caused injuries, including cancer and brain injury, a $13.95-million medical malpractice jury verdict for a medically fragile young adult who suffered an embolic stroke during an elective cardiac catheterization, and a federal civil rights jury verdict for a school district’s violation of a disabled student’s constitutional right to equal protection and bodily integrity.

Treating every case as if it is his only one, he works diligently to understand the numerous facts and complicated medical issues involved in each matter. As the father of a special needs child, he is a strong advocate and champion for disabled children and is particularly zealous about cases involving children.

Tom knows that his work, and that of the entire PCVA team, changes the lives of their clients by enabling them to stop struggling to pay their medical bills and improving their access to appropriate care, and he takes this responsibility very seriously.

A judge remarked that “[Tom] was professional, courteous, prepared, and a zealous advocate for his client. I wish I had more attorneys like him appearing before me.”

Tom’s peers are in awe of his round-the-clock work ethic, which inspires them to want to do more and be better. They jokingly refer to him as “the mayor” because he is so widely known and respected, and acknowledge that Tom has one of the sharpest legal minds who gets great results for his clients.

In 2023, Tom was inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America. Founded in 1950, the College is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only and only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds, who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality.

Before entering private practice, Tom served as a law clerk for the Honorable Jane B. Cantor of the New Jersey Superior Court and as an assistant prosecutor in New Jersey, where he prosecuted hundreds of criminal matters on behalf of injured victims.

Tom is married to his college sweetheart, Jennifer, and they have three children. Outside work, Tom donates much of his time to nonprofits that support medically fragile children and autism awareness.