BARRISTER OF THE MONTH: THOMAS KNOTH ESQ

There is just something about the Dayton area that keeps bringing people back home. That was the case for me and for many members of our bar, including this month’s Barrister of the Month honoree, Tom Knoth.

Tom was born at Good Samaritan Hospital, and grew up in Fairborn, Ohio. His dad, along with several aunts and uncles, worked for General Motors. Tom’s dad served in the Korean War and received his business degree through the GI Bill. His mom was a homemaker who grew up in the hallows of Kentucky and emphasized the importance of education. As a result, Tom and his four siblings all received college degrees.

Tom’s educational journey began at Park Hills High School and then took him to the University of Dayton where he majored in economics. In the business school, Tom took a handful of law-related classes, including a constitutional law class and a business-law class taught by a local attorney. Having always been interested in law due to movies and television shows, Tom decided to try his hand at law school, and enrolled in the College of William and Mary School of Law.

During law school, Tom had the opportunity to clerk at Coolidge Wall and later Eckert Seamans in Pittsburgh. During these clerkships, Tom had his introduction to life in a law firm and acquired an interest in litigation. Tom enjoyed the law firm life and decided to pursue a path in private practice. Following graduation, Tom started his law practice at Hunton & Williams in Raleigh, North Carolina. A couple years later, Tom decided to return home to the Dayton area and joined the legendary litigation firm in 1980s Dayton, Ohio: Smith and Schnacke.

Tom remembers Smith and Schnacke fondly. When he joined, the firm was growing rapidly, often recruiting twenty attorneys a year on top of a similarly-sized summer associate class. Tom benefited from the mentorship and skills he learned from masterful litigators like Jim Gilvary, [Hon.] Steve Dankof, and David Rickert. A competitive person, Tom took a liking to litigation because of the win-lose aspect of trying a case. The active problem solving mixed with the investigatory aspects of a case made for a rewarding combination.

Tom also enjoyed the social aspects of Smith and Schnacke. Because the firm hired numerous young attorneys, there were plenty of opportunities to build community and make friends. Indeed, during Tom’s first day at the firm he met Jane Leingang, an office administrator in charge of firm orientation, whom he would later marry.

When Smith and Schnacke eventually merged with Thompson Hine, Tom stayed with the firm and continued to build the litigation practice he maintains to this day. Although Tom enjoys the office aspects of litigation, such as researching and writing a well-crafted argument, he misses the in-person component of trial work due to fewer cases going to trial. With so many cases ultimately settling, he describes litigation often being like “preparing for a game that gets cancelled before you take the field.”

With COVID-19, Tom has risen to the challenge of serving his clients despite obstacles to travel. “One of the biggest changes in the practice of law is definitely the role of technology,” Tom remarked. “When I started out practicing, you could leave the office and be disconnected from your work, but now you’re constantly on call for both your colleagues and your clients.” Tom has taken advantage of these changes in technology during the global pandemic by embracing teleconferencing and identifying creative ways to stay in communication with his clients with pending matters across the country.

Tom and Jane are parents to three children: Natalie, a copywriter for Victoria’s Secret; Courtney, a civilian data scientist for the United States Air Force; and Kevin, communications director for Congressman Mark Walker.

In his free time, Tom is a major basketball fan. For years, Tom coached his kids’ basketball teams and played in leagues and in pick-up games at the YMCA. Although Tom has switched from basketball to golf, he still supports the YMCA and currently serves on its board of directors. He has served as a Dayton Bar Association Trustee and currently serves on Thompson Hine’s Pro Bono Committee, where he helps manage the Dayton office’s eviction clinic, Volunteer Lawyer Project contributions, and emerging business counseling.

Over the years, Tom has witnessed many changes in the practice of law. One of the changes he is most encouraged to see is more women not only practicing law, but also achieving positions of leadership in law firms and within the local legal community. In particular, Tom praised Thompson Hine’s managing partner, Deborah Read, as a strong example of a talented woman providing excellent leadership at the firm-level.

Although Tom has cases from coast to coast and practices at a firm with locations throughout the country, Tom could not be happier practicing in Dayton. With attorneys like Tom, Dayton will always be home to a collegial bar of outstanding lawyers.