Philadelphia defense lawyer driven by high stakes nature of catastrophic injury cases
For nearly 25 years, Philadelphia attorney Tom Wagner’s bread and butter has been defending catastrophic injury cases.
A veteran trial lawyer, he thrives under the pressure that comes with high-stakes litigation. He embraces the constant pace, the steep expectations, and the exhausting schedule. The strenuous demands energize him.
“You’ve got to manage time, there’s a deadline, there’s an urgency,” he says. “You’ve got to get things done and get them done well. There’s no rote response. There’s no ‘take two,’ so you’ve got to get it right.”
He understands everyone isn’t suited for such work.
“The more you do it, the more you realize it’s exceptionally hard to do,” he says. “Not everybody can do it.”
Wagner doesn’t take it for granted that he is among the few who can. He often tells people if someone had told him when he was younger that he could be paid well just for thinking, he would have laughed in disbelief. He describes his career as a “tremendous gift.”
“For me, it fits perfectly,” says Wagner, who started the Law Offices of Thomas J. Wagner, LLC in 1998. “I love doing this. It satisfies just about everything that someone like me could want. It’s a challenge. Every case is different. No day is the same.”
Wagner may never have found his calling had it not been for a college job as a messenger for a mid-size Philadelphia law firm and a fortuitous conversation in a city park.
A veteran trial lawyer, he thrives under the pressure that comes with high-stakes litigation. He embraces the constant pace, the steep expectations, and the exhausting schedule. The strenuous demands energize him.
“You’ve got to manage time, there’s a deadline, there’s an urgency,” he says. “You’ve got to get things done and get them done well. There’s no rote response. There’s no ‘take two,’ so you’ve got to get it right.”
He understands everyone isn’t suited for such work.
“The more you do it, the more you realize it’s exceptionally hard to do,” he says. “Not everybody can do it.”
Wagner doesn’t take it for granted that he is among the few who can. He often tells people if someone had told him when he was younger that he could be paid well just for thinking, he would have laughed in disbelief. He describes his career as a “tremendous gift.”
“For me, it fits perfectly,” says Wagner, who started the Law Offices of Thomas J. Wagner, LLC in 1998. “I love doing this. It satisfies just about everything that someone like me could want. It’s a challenge. Every case is different. No day is the same.”
Wagner may never have found his calling had it not been for a college job as a messenger for a mid-size Philadelphia law firm and a fortuitous conversation in a city park.
Muliha Khan
Zupkus & Angell, P.C., Denver, Colorado
Zupkus & Angell, P.C., Denver, Colorado
What are the top three items on your bucket list?
"A trip to Tanzania with my family. Teaching a course at my alma mater (Colorado College). Mastering TikTok."
"A trip to Tanzania with my family. Teaching a course at my alma mater (Colorado College). Mastering TikTok."
Coffee & Conversation
January 23rd at 10:00 am EST
How Firms Account for Community Service Hours
Mark Warzecha
Widerman Malek, P.L., Melbourne, Florida
January 23rd at 10:00 am EST
How Firms Account for Community Service Hours
Mark Warzecha
Widerman Malek, P.L., Melbourne, Florida
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Primerus™ is where clients turn when they need a quality lawyer. That’s because they know our member firms act with integrity and knowledge and have the skills to deliver the gold standard in legal excellence.
As an excellent business law firm, you serve your local business community well. But the truth is, you operate at a distinct disadvantage when competing against the large law firms for premier business clients. Corporate counsel for large corporations won’t take a chance on the small and medium-sized law firms. If something goes wrong, their job is at stake for not hiring the big-name firm.
Changing the World in the Nick of Time
New Speaker of the House gets opportunity to speak up for us
In a prolonged test of political wills, House Republicans went 15 rounds last week in a prize-fight for the ages, finally electing California Congressman Kevin McCarthy as the next Speaker of the House.
A boxing analogy seems quite apropos in describing the bruising battle, which lasted several days and spilled enough political blood to warrant the need for a major transfusion.
In one corner was McCarthy, once seen as a moderate Republican voice who some contend lost his moral compass in recent years while pledging fealty to the leader of the MAGA movement in the U.S.
A boxing analogy seems quite apropos in describing the bruising battle, which lasted several days and spilled enough political blood to warrant the need for a major transfusion.
In one corner was McCarthy, once seen as a moderate Republican voice who some contend lost his moral compass in recent years while pledging fealty to the leader of the MAGA movement in the U.S.
Primerus™ Weekly invites different points of view
The Primerus™ Weekly welcomes letters to the editor and op-ed columns on timely topics or items of general interest.
Submissions should be limited to 800 words and must be timely, well written, and reflect a relevant point of view that will enlighten our readers. All submissions will be edited for clarity, grammar, and style. Anonymous submissions will not be accepted, nor will those that contain falsehoods or potentially libelous information.
For those interested in contributing a letter to the editor or an op-ed column, please include a short bio (20-30 words) along with your contact information. Submissions should be sent to Robin Lewis at rlewis@primerus.com.
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