Tom has extensive trial and appellate experience in business cases, including oil and gas, breach of contract, and fiduciary litigation for plaintiffs and defendants. He has significant involvement in probate litigation, representing executors, beneficiaries of estates, and guardians in cases that also involve complex business transactions. Mr. Wright has argued cases in the Texas Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Ninth Circuits, and most of the fourteen intermediate appellate courts in Texas. He also has expertise in preservation of error, the court’s charge, and post-trial motion practice, and has spoken on those subjects at continuing legal education seminars. He is a contributing author to the chapters on Discovery and Liability Insurance to Professor Dorsaneo’s Texas Litigation Guide, and is an Editorial Consultant for Appleman’s Texas Insurance Law Practice Guide.
Tom is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest level of peer rated professional excellence. Every year since 2003, Tom has earned selection to Thomson Reuters’ list of Texas Super Lawyers® (2003-present) in Appellate and Business Litigation, as published in Texas Monthly. In addition, since 2007, Tom has been included on BL Rankings, LLC’s list of Best Lawyers in America® (2007-present) in Appellate Law. Tom was recently listed as a Recognized Practitioner in Litigation: Appellate (2015-present) by Chambers & Partners, as published in Chambers USA. Tom was also named to the list of “Top Rated Lawyers” in Texas (2010-present) in the area of Business Litigation, by ALM and Martindale-Hubbell. Tom is dual Board Certified in Civil Trial Law and Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Tom is also a member of the prestigious American Law Institute.
Experience
- Partner, Wright Close & Barger, LLP, 2018 – present
- Partner, Wright & Close, LLP, 2010 – 2017
- Partner, Wright Brown & Close, LLP, 2003 – 2010
- Founder, The Wright Law Firm, 2002 – 2003
- Partner, Campbell Harrison & Wright, 1991 – 2001
- Associate and Partner, Miller Bristow & Brown, 1985 – 1991
- Captain, United States Army, 1981 – 1985
- Law Clerk, Judge Charles Clark, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1980 – 1981
Certifications
- Board Certified in Civil Trial Law since 1992 and in Civil Appellate Law since 1993 by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Memberships
- Fellow, Houston Bar Foundation
- State Bar of Texas (Litigation Section)
- Houston Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- American Law Institute
Awards
- Best Lawyers® (publ. by BL Rankings, LLC) – 2020
- Texas Super Lawyers® (publ. by Thompson Reuters) – 2003 to present