Patrick J. Thomas

Attorney Patrick J. Thomas is a partner with Ritzler, Coughlin, & Paglia Ltd. law firm, a full service law firm handling business, commercial and insurance litigation.  A top-ranked trial lawyer with nearly 20 years of total legal experience, Mr. Thomas provides unmatched counsel and support to clients throughout the state who have legal needs involving business litigation, contractual disputes, intellectual property litigation including copyright infringement, investments, construction, legal malpractice, medical malpractice, and insurance bad faith.  

Through his legal practice, Mr. Thomas delivers highly personalized counsel to a wide range of clients in a variety of industries, including business, construction and natural resources. He has prosecuted and defended a host of litigations for his clients involving professional liability, patent, trademark and copyright infringements, and more, and he has extensive experience with appeals as well as representing his clients before professional boards.

Early in his legal career, Mr. Thomas served as an assistant prosecuting attorney with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office's Major Trial Division, where he served as first chair in more than 90 jury trials involving very serious felonies such as homicides and sex crimes. Prior to becoming an attorney, he worked for the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine as a research scientist helping to develop recombinant human nervous system enzymes.

A 1990 graduate of Denison University with a Bachelor of Science in biology, Mr. Thomas obtained his Juris Doctor in 2001 from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois as well as before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the Ohio Supreme Court.

Mr. Thomas is an active member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and the Defense Research Institute, among his other professional affiliations. He is also a member of the Denison University Alumni Association, and he has served as coach and mock trial instructor at Mayfield High School.