Tom Schultz

Emailtschultz@panish.law

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Tom Schultz is a partner at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP and has been a trial attorney for 35 years. He focuses his practice on representing plaintiffs in a variety of complex civil cases involving claims of catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, financial loss, and pharmaceutical and medical device cases. During his career as a plaintiff’s attorney, Mr. Schultz has represented approximately 4,000 clients and has obtained nearly $3 billion in settlements and verdicts on behalf of his clients.

Mr. Schultz is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell — the highest rating possible for an attorney — and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) for his extensive jury trial experience. Mr. Schultz is also listed in the Best Lawyers in America and Lawdragon 500,  as one of the best plaintiff attorneys in the country, and he is also recognized as a Southern California Super Lawyer by the Super Lawyers® publication.

Since joining the firm in 2011, Mr. Schultz has obtained $1.7 billion dollars in verdicts and settlements, with over 175 cases in excess of $1,000,000 and over 50 cases of at least $10,000,000 or more including:

• $160 million trial verdict for a brain injured client
• $50.9 million settlement for facial injuries to a female client
• $49.9 million settlement for a leg amputee client
• $48.8 million trial verdict for a brain injured client
• $46.5 million arbitration award for a wrongful death of a man with orthopedic injuries to another
• $37 million settlement for a leg  amputee client following a verdict of $27 million
• $36.5 million trial verdict for a spine injury client
• $34.5 million trial verdict for a leg amputee client
• $34.1 million trial verdict for a brain injured client
• $32.5 million settlement for three clients, one who died and two who had severe orthopedic injuries
• $32 million settlement for a leg amputee client
• $30 million settlement for a brain injured client
• $30 million settlement for a brain injured client
• $27 million settlement for a leg amputee
• $26.5 million settlement for a leg amputee client
• $26 million settlement for a man with a severe arm injury and CRPS
• $23.7 million trial verdict for a leg amputee client
• $23.45 million settlement for a brain injured client
• $22.5 million settlement for a brain injured client
• $22.2 million settlement for a brain injured client
• $21 million settlement for a wrongful death case
• $21 million settlement for a brain injured client
• $20.5 million trial verdict in a wrongful death case
• $20 million settlement for a man paralyzed in a bicycle accident
• $20 million settlement for a brain injured client
• $20 million settlement for a spinal cord injury client
• $19.2 million settlement for a brain injured client
• $18.1 settlement for wrongful death of adult child by parents
• $18 million settlement for quadriplegia to two clients
• $18 million settlement for two brain injured clients
• $17.5 million settlement for a man paralyzed during a motorcycle collision
• $17.4 million trial verdict for a brain injured client
• $17.1 million trial verdict for a leg amputee client
• $15.25 million settlement for a wrongful death case
• $15 million settlement for a brain injured client
• $15 million settlement for a complex regional pain syndrome client
• $14.9 million settlement for a leg amputee client
• $14.75 million settlement for an arm amputee client
• $14.6 million settlement for a client with chronic pain
• $14.5 million settlement for a brain injured client
• $13.9 million trial verdict for a client with multiple back fractures
• $13.7 settlement for wrongful death of an adult child
• $13.5 million settlement for a client with permanent vocal cord paralysis
• $12 million settlement for a paraplegic client
• $12 million settlement for a spinal cord injured client
• $11 million trial verdict for client with multiple orthopedic injuries
• $11 million settlement a client with an eye injury and chronic pain
• $10 million trial verdict for the wrongful death of a three-year-old child
• $10 million settlement for orthopedic injuries to a client
• $10 million settlement for the wrongful death of a 14-year-old child
• $10 million settlement for two clients with orthopedic injuries

Mr. Schultz has also received the following awards for his outstanding trial efforts:

• 2018 Daily Journal Top Verdict By Impact for Martinez v. Whittier Uptown Association
• 2017 Finalist for CAOC Consumer Attorney of the Year
• 2016 Finalist for CAOC Consumer Attorney of the Year
• 2016 Daily Journal Top Verdict By Impact for Newland v. Los Angeles County
• 2015 Daily Journal Top Verdict By Dollar and four Top 50 Verdicts in California for Casillas v Landstar (#3 in ppCalifornia and #21 Nationally),  Sheaffer v NuCo2 (#14 in California), Rabb v State of California (#25 in California) and Gomez v Heger Farms (#37 in California)
• 2012 Daily Journal Top Verdict By Dollar for Sheth v Schneider National Carriers(#9 in California and #54 Nationally)

In addition to handling individual cases, Mr. Schultz was the primary handling attorney for several mass tort cases including a $200 million settlement involving claims against the pharmaceutical giant, Eli Lilly, for injuries arising out of the drug Zyprexa.

Immediately prior to joining Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP, Mr. Schultz was a Deputy District Attorney in the Major Fraud Unit of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office from 2008 to 2010, where he handled primarily complex criminal economic fraud cases, including the largest worker’s compensation fraud case in Orange County’s history.

During a 10-year period from 1998 to 2008, Mr. Schultz worked for and then became a partner in the nationally recognized law firm of Lopez, Hodes, Restaino, Skikos & Polos. At this firm, he obtained approximately $600 million in settlements and verdicts in a variety of individual and mass tort cases.

Mr. Schultz developed his skills as a plaintiff’s lawyer under the tutelage of the late David M. Harney, a former past President of the International Academy of Trial lawyers and widely regarded as one of the greatest trial lawyers of his generation. Between 1988 and 1998, Mr. Schultz worked with the Harney Law Firm, starting as a law clerk while in law school for two years and then as an attorney for eight years. As a young attorney, Mr. Schultz tried over a dozen cases as lead counsel, including his first case within weeks of passing the bar, which he won. His greatest success at the firm though was meeting and later marrying his beautiful wife Alexandra.

Mr. Schultz graduated from Loyola Law School in 1990 and obtained his undergraduate degree from UCLA in 1987. He resides in Newport Beach, California, with his wife Alexandra and his youngest son Elliot, who is in the tenth grade. Mr. Schultz has two adult children, Andrew, an attorney and graduate of UCLA and USC Gould School of Law, and Christian, a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and a year-long post graduate program at the prestigious Berklee School of Music. Both of his adult sons recently got engaged. Mr. Schultz enjoys spending time with his family, his faithful dog Sadie, a six year-old rescue, and watching sporting events. Most weekends he can be found at a basketball gym or golf course watching his youngest son, Elliot, perform athletic wonders.