Tom worked nights while in law school at a Philadelphia nightclub, so he is no stranger to long hours or intense disputes.
-
Thomas J. Cotton is a commercial litigator who focuses exclusively on complex, high-stakes business disputes. He represents businesses and individuals across a broad range of industries — including construction, real estate, marketing, insurance, and entertainment — and has built a reputation as a formidable adversary in the most consequential disputes his clients face. When the stakes are highest, Tom is the attorney his clients call.Tom's practice spans the full spectrum of commercial litigation, from preliminary injunctions and class actions to government enforcement actions, fraud claims, whistleblower allegations, malpractice lawsuits, and bankruptcy matters. He is relentless at every stage — from initial investigation and discovery through final judgment and appeal — and has a track record of prevailing in disputes that other lawyers consider unwinnable. His clients include international companies, regional businesses, and high net-worth individuals who trust him to handle matters where the outcome defines the future of their businesses and their personal lives.His courtroom record reflects that trust. In each instance, Tom combines aggressive litigation strategy with a precise command of the facts to deliver results his clients could not find elsewhere.Before entering private practice, Tom clerked for a Presiding Judge of New Jersey’s Appellate Division, where he developed the rigorous analytical foundation that now distinguishes his courtroom work. He received his law degree from Rutgers Law School, where he served on the Rutgers Law Journal and participated in moot court.A recognized authority on litigation strategy, Tom writes and speaks frequently on cost-effective approaches to commercial disputes. His clients value his tenacity, precision, and ability to outmaneuver well-resourced opponents — whether he is cross-examining a hostile witness, arguing before an appellate panel, or negotiating a resolution that protects his client's core interests.
*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
- April 30, 2025The Gavel Claims Convention 2025
- November 19, 2024Cristian Rivera Foundation Celebrity Gala
- March 8, 2023Thomas Cotton Speaks at Rutgers Law School's Employer Table Talk Event
- March 20, 2026Super Lawyers® & Rising Stars® 2026
- June 19, 2025Thirty-six Schenck Price Attorneys named in Morris County Top Lawyers 2025
- June 9, 2025Tom Cotton Press Release
- June 9, 2025Tom Cotton quoted in Construction Dive
- March 21, 20252025 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
- August 15, 2024Seventeen Schenck Price Attorneys Named to The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch
- August 17, 2023Nineteen Schenck Price Attorneys Named to The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch
- July 26, 2023Thomas J. Cotton and Marla Buitrago Rincon Obtain Favorable Judgment for International Client in Attorney Malpractice Suit
- May 11, 20232023 Edition of New Jersey Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists Include 30 Schenck Price Attorneys
- Aug 22, 2022Cotton Named to Law Journal's "New Leaders of the Bar"
- Aug 18, 202110 Schenck Price Attorneys Named to Best Lawyers List; 4 to the List of "Ones to Watch"
- Mar 17, 20222022 Edition of New Jersey Super Lawyers Includes 34 Schenck Price Attorneys
- Feb 1, 2022Schenck Price Welcomes New Partner Thomas Cotton
- Aug 19, 20219 Schenck Price Attorneys Named to Best Lawyers List; 5 to the List of "Ones to Watch"
- March 23, 20212021 Edition of New Jersey Super Lawyers Includes 32 Schenck Price Attorneys
- Aug 20, 2020The Best Lawyers in America 2021
- Jun 17, 2020Schenck Price Wins at New Jersey Supreme Court
- Mar 13, 20202020 Edition of New Jersey Super Lawyers
- Jan 23, 2019Protecting Commercial Landowners from Speculative Claims
- Nov 8, 2018Schenck Price Wins Injunction and $11M Judgment in Trade Secrets Lawsuit Against Client's Competitor in Solar Energy Industry
- February 19, 2026The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- SKT Management LLC v. Township of Irvington
- January 28, 2026The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Sponaugle v. Walsh
- December 29, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Dedes Realty, LLC v. Union Plaza Diner Corp.
- November 14, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Hancock v. Mountainside Medical Center
- October 17, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Estate of Gaza v. Popovich
- October 3, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Icona Golden Inn, LLC v. Struxure Outdoor, Inc.
- September 19, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- JJ Bada 464 Operating Corp. v. Advance Security Systems
- August 19, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- State v. Simmons
- August 8, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- DiGiesi v. Bridgewater Police Department
- July 18, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- State v. Williams
- July 9, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Mayers v. Mayers
- June 19, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- 445 YYH LLC v. Blue Moon Lounge, LLC
- June 13, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Forever Greatful Art Studios, LLC v. City of Orange Township
- June 6, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- NJ Propertylink, LLC v. ADT Corporation
- May 29, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- 3305 Palisades Avenue, LLC v. Alfaro Enterprises, LLC
- May 23, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Platkin v. Kizito
- May 23, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Platkin v. Kizito
- May 8, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Rennie v. The Valley Hospital
- May 1, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Pinnacle Federal Credit Union v. Chandler
- April 23, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- State v. Ramadan
- April 17, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Brodsky v. Estate of Goodman
- April 7, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Dalal v. Global Tel*Link Corporation
- March 21, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Atlantic ER Physicians Team Pediatric Associates v. UnitedHealth Group, Inc.
- March 13, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Ciolek v. Township of Roxbury
- March 11, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Spectrum Capital North Bergen, LLC v. Crown Bank
- February 28, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Trimline Finish Carpentry LLC v. Scarborough
- February 19, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- State v. Driesse
- February 14, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- Fou v. Kevin Kerveng Tung, PC
- February 7, 2025The Appellate Advocate: A Recap of Recent Decisions by NJ's Appellate Courts- The Stabile Law Firm v. Le Cuyer
-
- Selected to the Morris County's Top Lawyers list (2025)
- Selected to the 2025-2026 New Jersey Super Lawyers®* list, published by Thomson Reuters
- Selected as a "New Leaders of the Bar," The New Jersey Law Journal, 2022*
- Listed among the "Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch" by The Best Lawyers in America® in the fields of Commercial Litigation and Professional Malpractice Law (2021-2025)*
- Selected to the 2016-2023 New Jersey Rising Stars®* lists, published by Thomson Reuters
*No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Click here for awards information and methodology.Thomas J. CottonRated by Super Lawyers
loading ... -
- Quoted, "How GCs can cope with problem subs," May 27, 2025
- Author, "The Appellate Advocate"
- Co-presenter, "It Wasn't Me! The Shifting of Blame and Risk in Premises Liability Claims," The Gavel Claims Convention 2025
- Speaker, "Employer Table Talk," Rutgers Law School, March 8, 2023
- Co-author, "Federal Government Signals Intention to Limit Enforcement of Restrictive Covenants," The New Jersey Law Journal, August 18, 2021
- Author, "Asking Why: Taking Expert Depositions with the Goal of Striking Expert Evidence," Community Net, a publication of the New Jersey State Bar Association's Construction Law Section
- Presenter, "Filing, Preparing and Litigating the Order to Show Cause," County Bar Association: Bench-Bar Conference, June 14, 2019
- Author, “Both Sides’ Playbooks: Knowing Offense Is Important When Defending Whistleblower Suits in the Construction Industry,” New Jersey State Bar Association Construction Law Section Newsletter, December 2018
- Author, "Wave or Ripple? Assessing the Impact of ‘Brugaletta v. Garcia’," New Jersey Law Journal, Sep 17, 2018
- Author, "Using Modern Techniques for an Age-Old Battle: The Scope of E-Discovery," New Jersey Law Journal, April 5, 2018
- Presenter, “Electronic Discovery: In the Construction Industry and Beyond,” New Jersey State Bar Association: Construction Law Section, October 11, 2017
-
-
Member, New Jersey State Bar Association
-
Member, New York State Bar Association
-
-
- Developed and advocated complex portfolio of litigations on behalf of property owners and business operators in disputes concerning alleged government interference with property access and civil rights, with actions in New Jersey’s trial court, New Jersey’s appellate court, the Office of Administrative Law, the Board of Construction Appeals, and federal court
- Won $11,000,000 summary-judgment award on behalf of a solar company by proving a competitor’s trade-secret theft
- Defeated putative class action brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act via summary-judgment motion, after winning an application at the case’s earliest stage to prevent plaintiff from taking class discovery
- Frequently represents the sellers and purchasers of local and regional businesses concerning disputes over financial representations, agreement terms, and related covenants
- Won significant victory at New Jersey Supreme Court on behalf of international real-estate and property-management firms, which dismissed invasion-of-privacy claims brought by dozens of plaintiffs in connection with a janitorial contractor’s use of surreptitious surveillance cameras
- Routinely represents owners and managers of commercial properties in every manner of issue affecting their business, including tenant actions and acquisition disputes
- Effectively barred a prospective class representative, after extensive discovery and multiple motions, from seeking class certification in a Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuit
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of the purchaser of large land tract to rescind tenant and first-refusal rights claimed by holdover hunting club, and successfully defended against hunting club’s efforts to appeal from that judgment
- Secured settlement on behalf of founder and minority shareholders in a craft brewery within litigation against majority shareholder
- Guided national developer of solar farms through multiple rounds of mediation and arbitration in complex, high-stakes dispute concerning the construction of a New York facility
- Represented fragrance supplier in intellectual-property litigation in California federal court involving claims of counterfeit products
- Defended healthcare provider in putative class action in New Jersey federal court concerning allegations of widespread and systemic lapse in sterilization procedures at ambulatory surgery center
- Prosecuted claims on behalf of New Jersey roadway contractor against supplier of heavy equipment for alleged misstatements in quality specifications
- Regularly defends against and brings Consumer Fraud Act claims arising from construction, renovations, and other improvements made to New Jersey residential properties
- Obtained complete dismissal of claims brought against insurance agency, alleging that the agency had improperly maintained unnecessary coverage for a public entity’s employees
- Earned dismissal for insurance agency, at lawsuit’s earliest stages, in litigation brought by healthcare provider involving complex re-pricing for medical bills
- Defended insurance agency accused of failing to maintain coverage for a go-go bar in connection with loss arising from a patron-on-patron knife fight
- Pursued claims on behalf of electrical subcontractor against hiring contractor for work performed in a complex public project
- Prosecuted adversary proceeding on behalf of health-and-wellness company within a former partner’s personal bankruptcy
- Negotiated favorable settlement on behalf of individual guarantors to a California company’s equipment leases, which had been subject of default judgment in New Jersey state court several years prior
- During the course of mediation, negotiated with-prejudice dismissal in New Jersey state court on behalf of a property-management company accused of negligently winterizing a property
- Succeeded in quashing multiple subpoenas served upon owner of small business, arising from various litigations between business’s former employee and the former employee’s spouse
- Resolved, through multiple rounds of mediation, complex claims against insurance agency that was alleged to have fraudulently procured unnecessary insurance policies for a construction firm
- Litigated, to settlement, fraud claims by limited partners in multiple, elaborate New York City real-estate holdings against general partners
- Defended medical-transport company against claims that it negligently injured a wheelchair-bound client during transit
*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
