Tom worked nights while in law school at a Philadelphia nightclub, so he is no stranger to long hours or intense disputes.
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Thomas J. Cotton is a dedicated commercial litigator who focuses exclusively on resolving complex business disputes. He represents both businesses and individuals in high-stakes litigation, delivering strategic counsel whether the matter is fast-moving or drawn-out, personal or purely professional. Tom partners closely with his clients to understand their objectives and works tirelessly to achieve them.
Tom's clients span a diverse range of industries, including construction, real estate, marketing, insurance, and entertainment. He navigates them through a broad spectrum of disputes, including preliminary injunctions, class actions, government enforcement actions, fraud claims, whistleblower allegations, malpractice lawsuits, and bankruptcy matters.
A recognized authority on innovative litigation techniques, Tom frequently writes and speaks on cost-effective strategies for handling commercial disputes. He is deeply involved at every stage of the litigation process—from initial investigation and discovery to final judgment and appeal—providing tailored, forward-thinking solutions. Whether advocating in the courtroom, negotiating in the boardroom, or advising on-site, Tom collaborates with his clients to develop creative approaches that drive successful outcomes.
Tom has been named to the "Rising Stars" list in business litigation by Thomson Reuters every year since 2016, earning this prestigious distinction after just one year of practice.
*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
- 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
- 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
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- Selected to the Morris County's Top Lawyers list (2025)
- Selected to the 2025 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
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- 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
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Member, New Jersey State Bar Association
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Member, New York State Bar Association
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- Obtained complete dismissal of claims brought against insurance agency, alleging that the agency had improperly maintained unnecessary coverage for a public entity’s employees
- Effectively barred a prospective class representative, after extensive discovery and multiple motions, from seeking class certification in a Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuit
- Earned dismissal for insurance agency, at lawsuit’s earliest stages, in litigation brought by healthcare provider involving complex re-pricing for medical bills
- 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
- 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
- Won $11,000,000 summary-judgment award on behalf of a solar company by proving a competitor’s trade-secret theft
- 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
- Secured settlement on behalf of founder and minority shareholders in a craft brewery within litigation against majority shareholder
- 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
- 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.
