Thomas B. Vertetis
Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC
Recognized since 2022
Tacoma, Washington
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs
Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
As the first in his family to attend college, Tom Vertetis was inspired to attend law school based on the encouragement of his father. It was the clearest path to try and make a big difference in helping others. If waking up at 3 a.m. and emailing colleagues to share a new legal strategy is an indication, Tom clearly found his calling. With a passionate commitment to assisting victims in complex personal injury cases, including medical malpractice, wrongful death, sexual abuse, school liability, and civil rights claims, Tom works tirelessly to help those with the greatest needs.
Tom has consistently obtained success in the courtroom, including many multi-million-dollar plaintiff’s verdicts, having led more than 50 jury trials, as well as hundreds of significant settlements. He obtained a $165-million product liability jury verdict against Monsanto for six teachers and one custodian exposed to chemicals (PCBs) that caused injuries, including cancer and brain injury, a $13.95-million medical malpractice jury verdict for a medically fragile young adult who suffered an embolic stroke during an elective cardiac catheterization, and a federal civil rights jury verdict for a school district’s violation of a disabled student’s constitutional right to equal protection and bodily integrity.
Treating every case as if it is his only one, he works diligently to understand the numerous facts and complicated medical issues involved in each matter. As the father of a special needs child, he is a strong advocate and champion for disabled children and is particularly zealous about cases involving children.
Tom knows that his work, and that of the entire PCVA team, changes the lives of their clients by enabling them to stop struggling to pay their medical bills and improving their access to appropriate care, and he takes this responsibility very seriously.
A judge remarked that “[Tom] was professional, courteous, prepared, and a zealous advocate for his client. I wish I had more attorneys like him appearing before me.”
Tom’s peers are in awe of his round-the-clock work ethic, which inspires them to want to do more and be better. They jokingly refer to him as “the mayor” because he is so widely known and respected, and acknowledge that Tom has one of the sharpest legal minds who gets great results for his clients.
In 2023, Tom was inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America. Founded in 1950, the College is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only and only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds, who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality.
Before entering private practice, Tom served as a law clerk for the Honorable Jane B. Cantor of the New Jersey Superior Court and as an assistant prosecutor in New Jersey, where he prosecuted hundreds of criminal matters on behalf of injured victims.
Tom is married to his college sweetheart, Jennifer, and they have three children. Outside work, Tom donates much of his time to nonprofits that support medically fragile children and autism awareness.
- Direct Phone Number: (253) 777-0799
- Phone Number: (253) 777-0799
- Lawyer Page: https://www.pcva.law/attorneys/thomas-vertetis/
- 909 A Street, Suite 700
Tacoma, WA 98402
- University of San Diego, Business Economics, Cum Laude, graduated 1994
- Villanova University, J.D., graduated 1997
- New Jersey, New Jersey State Bar Association
- Oregon, Oregon State Bar
- Washington, Washington State Bar Association
- King County Bar Association - Member
- Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, Volunteer Services/Pro Bono Committee - Past Chair
- Litigation Counsel of America - Fellow
- International Society of Barristers - Fellow
- Washington State Association for Justice, Medical Negligence Section - Past Chair
- Federal Bar Association, Western District of Washington - Trustee
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) - Washington Chapter, Executive Board, Incoming President
- Pierce County Bar Foundation - Past President
- Washington State Campaign for Equal Justice - Board of Directors, Past President
- Western District of Washington Ninth Circuit - Current Lawyer Representitive
- American College of Trial Lawyers - Fellow
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Washington
- U.S. District Court Western District of Washington
10 The Best Lawyers in America® awards
4 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America awards
- Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Seattle (2023)
- Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs
- Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
- Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
The Recorder, Top 25 Verdicts & Settlements of the West, 2020
American Board of Trial Attorneys (ABOTA), Washington Trial Lawyer of the Year, 2019
The Best Lawyers in America®, “Lawyer Of The Year” In the Seattle Area for Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs, 2023
Thomson Reuters Washington Super Lawyers, Top 100, 2015-2023
Thomson Reuters Washington Super Lawyers, 2013-2023
National Trial Lawyers Association, Top 40 Under 40 of Washington
- National Association of Distinguished Counsel, Top One Percent
- Consumer Protection Law
- Civil Rights Law
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