Mark S. Thomas

Mark Thomas is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Section. He represents individuals and businesses in connection with lawsuits involving intellectual property claims, ERISA and other employee benefits disputes, and other business-related disputes. In addition, he counsels clients on the administration of employee benefit plans.

Mark Thomas is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Section. He represents individuals and businesses in connection with lawsuits involving intellectual property claims, ERISA and other employee benefits disputes, and other business-related disputes. In addition, he counsels clients on the administration of employee benefit plans.

Mr. Thomas has over 20 years of experience in ERISA and other employee benefits litigation at the trial as well as appellate level. He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving a wide range of plan types, including disability, health and severance plans and various forms of retirement plans. His experience includes defending plan administrators and other fiduciaries against claims of fiduciary breach and representing plan participants enforcing their rights to retirement and disability benefits.

For over 25 years, Mr. Thomas has also represented clients, both plaintiffs and defendants, in intellectual property litigation, including patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret claims, and he also regularly counsels clients with respect to trademark protection and registration. His litigation experience also includes cases involving complex business disputes.

Mr. Thomas is a founder and past president of the Triangle Benefits Forum, and a regular speaker on ERISA and other employee benefits law. He has been named a "Super Lawyer" by North Carolina Super Lawyers magazine and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America. Martindale Hubbell has rated Mr. Thomas an AV attorney, its highest rating available.

Mr. Thomas is licensed to practice in North Carolina. He is a member of the Intellectual Property Section and past chair of the Labor & Employment Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, as well as a member of the International Law & Practice Section Council.  Mr. Thomas is a member of the Tort and Insurance Section American Bar Association, as well as the Intellectual Property Law Section. He is also a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Defense Research Institute and the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys.

As vice-chair, Mr. Thomas is active in the History Committee of the Wake County Bar Association. He is also a member of the Board of Directors, and past president, for the Badger-Iredell Foundation, an organization established by the Wake County Bar Association to administer the historic collection of the Badger-Iredell law office in Mordecai Park of Raleigh, North Carolina.

A graduate of Wake Forest University and Wake Forest University School of Law, Mr. Thomas earned his bachelor of arts degree, magna cum laude, and his juris doctor degree, cum laude.