Managing Partner of Winston & Strawn’s Dallas office Thomas Melsheimer was highlighted in a profile for Texas Lawyer after being named as one of three finalists for “Attorney of the Year” in the Texas Legal Awards.
The Texas Lawyer described Tom as a polymath, stating he is “as comfortable with civil law as he is within criminal, in state courts as he is in federal courts. Melsheimer has become among the most sought-after trial lawyers in the nation.”
The article highlighted Tom’s work within the last year, including a federal lawsuit in which he was lead counsel challenging the legality of a Texas executive order banning mask mandates in public schools. The Winston team led by Tom, including partners Linda Coberly and Scott Thomas, successfully showed that enforcement of the executive order violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by depriving children with disabilities equal access to school and forcing these students to risk their lives to get an education.
In his biggest case of the year, Tom led a team to win the nation’s first criminal antitrust case, United States v. DaVita Inc., which included the indictment of former DaVita Inc. CEO Kent Thiry, alleging an illegal conspiracy with competitors involving a non-solicitation agreement. With email evidence and witnesses testifying against the defendant, Tom focused on proving that Thiry did not have the requisite intent for conviction. As a result, Thiry and co-defendant DaVita Inc. were acquitted on all counts of allegedly conspiring to suppress competition in the market for employees.
“I am fortunate to have a broad practice that touches on cutting edge white collar issues, and fortunate to be in a position where I’ve had the kind of experience that puts me in the position that I’m called upon to try a lot of different cases of wide variety,” Tom said of his career.
“That is about as exciting as it gets for a lawyer. It’s great to specialize, but when you can be in federal court arguing for the rights of the disabled, then on to a novel antitrust case, or a patent case, or in state court arguing about any number of business type issues, it makes the job extremely rewarding.”
