Tom has extensive private sector and government experience. Prior to joining Venable, he spent ten years as co-chair of the government affairs practice in the Washington, DC office of a global law firm. After his government service, he served as deputy general counsel and managed the Washington, DC office for Kemper Corporation, a diversified financial services company. He ran the legislative affairs department of the Investment Company Institute (ICI), the trade association for the mutual fund industry, as well.
Tom held several high-ranking government positions before entering private legal practice. He was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to serve as assistant attorney general in charge of the Office of Legislative Affairs in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), headed the Department's Office of Policy Development under President George H.W. Bush, and was appointed by the secretary of homeland security to serve a three-year term as a member of that department's Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee.
Tom has authored more than 50 legal and political commentaries and essays, most of which have appeared in law reviews and national publications, including the Washington Post, Reader's Digest, the Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, and the Boston Globe.