Bio

Thomas (Tom) G. French is a partner in Plunkett Cooney’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group. He represents clients in state and federal court in commercial matters involving breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, restrictive covenants, business divorces, environmental disputes, bid contests, debarment proceedings, banking, commercial torts, and employment disputes. Mr. French has also conducted several internal investigations on behalf of his clients.

A member of the firm’s Chicago office, Mr. French’s clients range from Fortune 10 companies to family-owned businesses. Regardless of the client’s size or the nature of the dispute, his approach is to first understand the client’s goals and then form a litigation strategy. Mr. French takes a pragmatic approach to efficiently represent his clients all while keeping their goals top of mind.

Admitted to practice in Illinois, Kentucky, and Indiana, Mr. French has experience handling matters involving commercial law, real estate law, administrative law, environmental law, municipal liability, and employment law.

While in law school, Mr. French worked as an extern at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property in Washington, D.C.

Representative Client Work

  • Successfully tried UCC Article 3 arbitrations on behalf of a national bank
  • Successfully tried a $300 million environmental arbitration on behalf of a chemical company
  • Successfully represented a manufacturing client in a commercial equipment dispute
  • Successfully represented a life science company in leasing and partnership dispute with a large real estate developer
  • Successfully represented life insurance brokers in restrictive covenant suit with former employer
  • Lead counsel for a large state university in a wide range of disputes, including wage and hour violations, discrimination allegations and premises liability

Notable Cases

  • Cotton v. Nat'l Collegiate Athletic Ass'n, 587 S.W.3d 356, 358 (Ky. Ct. App. 2019)
  • Columbia River, LLC v. Double Dough 7 LLC, Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois

Professional Affiliations

  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • Kentucky State Bar Association
  • Indiana State Bar Association

Community Involvement

  • Chicago Tool Library (Past Board Member)

Articles and Lectures

Credentials

Education

  • Indiana University - Maurer School of Law, J.D., 2016
  • Miami University, cum laude, B.A., 2011

Admissions

  • Illinois, 2021
  • Kentucky, 2017
  • Indiana, 2016

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