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Thomas R. Blum has been handling product liability cases and oil and gas litigation for more than 40 years. As a partner at Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn, he represents clients in a broad range of civil litigation matters, including products liability suits, oil and gas disputes, breach of contracts actions, expropriation matters, insurance contract litigation, disputes regarding personal rights, corporate governance matters, and foreclosures. Tom also has extensive transactional experience, including representing buyers and sellers of corporate stock and other property and representing lenders and borrowers in major loan transactions.

Prior to entering private practice in 1970, Tom served in the United States Army and was assigned to the Judge Advocate General’s office, Saigon Support Command, United States Army in Vietnam, where he tried approximately 65 court-martials primarily as counsel for the defense. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his services in Vietnam. In his private practice, Tom has had the privilege of serving as the first National Coordinating Counsel for American Optical Corp, its insurers and contractual partners, in which capacity he was responsible for the handling of thousands of cases involving tens of thousands of plaintiffs claiming damages as a result of exposure to asbestos and silica throughout the country. Tom also served as defense counsel in the well-known shareholder derivative case of Dunbar v. Williams (1988), which resulted in a defense judgment on 9 or 10 issues presented after a 31-day trial and remains one of the leading Louisiana cases in the area of shareholder derivative litigation.

During his law school years, Tom was elected to the Order of the Coif and the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and he was a member of the Louisiana Law Review. He was named outstanding graduate of Martin Inn, Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity for 1968. He is active in the American Bar Association and has served on several committees in the Section of Litigation. He is also a past president of the New Orleans Association of Defense Counsel.

Bar Admissions

  • Louisiana
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana 
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana 
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana 
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit 
  • U.S. Tax Court
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Education

  • J.D., Louisiana State University Law School, Order of the Coif, 1968
  • B.A., Loyola University, Dean’s List, Distinguished Military Graduate, 1965 

Memberships

  • Member, American Bar Association 
  • Member, Federal Bar Association
  • Member, Louisiana State Bar Association
  • President, New Orleans Association of Defense Counsel, 1983—1984
  • Member of the Board of Directors, New Orleans Association of Defense Counsel, 1981—1985 

Community Involvement

  • Alumni Steering Committee, Jesuit High School, 2016—2019
  • Class Representative, Jesuit High School, 2015—2019
  • Parish Council, St. Jerome Catholic Church, 1978—1998
  • Lay Minister of Communion, St. Jerome Catholic Church, 1978—2000

News

Simon, Peragine Attorneys Featured in New Orleans Magazine’s List of Best Lawyers

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