Thomas (Tommy) Tobin
- Seattle
- Portland
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Tommy focuses on complex litigation and regulatory compliance, with a particular emphasis on food, consumer goods, and cannabis industries.
Tommy Tobin regularly represents well-known consumer brands and other litigants in defending false advertising and labeling claims and providing regulatory counseling regarding product labeling. Tommy has experience with all aspects of commercial litigation.
Tommy edited the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Food Law: A Practical Guide, a resource book for practitioners to help them meet the needs of food and beverage clients across various areas of legal practice. He is active in the ABA as a member of the House of Delegates. He is also a trustee of the King County Bar Association.
Tommy has earned awards for his professionalism, writing, and teaching. In 2025, Tommy was named the King County Bar Association’s Outstanding New Lawyer of the Year. Additionally, the ABA named Tommy one of the Top 40 Young Lawyers in 2022 in its “On the Rise” Awards. In 2023, Tommy earned the top Readers’ Choice Award as the most-read author on JD Supra for his contributions regarding class actions. In 2024, Tommy was named part-time instructor of the year at the University of Washington School of Law.
Tommy maintains a robust pro bono practice. A recipient of the Perkins Coie’s J. Shan Mullin Annual Community Leadership and Service award, Tommy’s pro bono experience includes a federal jury trial in Arizona, where the trial team won pro bono lawyers of the year.
Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Tommy served as a law clerk to the Honorable Max O. Cogburn, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. In 2012, Tommy was awarded the George Mitchell Scholarship for travel to the island of Ireland. He holds degrees from Stanford University, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Kennedy School.
Areas of focus
Education & Credentials
Education
- Harvard Law School, J.D., Technical Editor, Harvard Journal on LegislationOnline Editor, Harvard Law & Policy Review, 2016
- Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, M.P.P., PPIA Fellowship, 2016
- Stanford University, B.A., History & International Relations, University Distinction, 2010
Bar and Court Admissions
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Washington
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California
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District of Columbia
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Oregon
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Maryland
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Massachusetts
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New York
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South Carolina
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
- U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Tax Court
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Related Employment
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Washington, D.C., Associate, 2017-2019
- UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy, PPIA Program, Instructor of Law, 2016-2018
- Principles of Economics (Ec10), Harvard Economics Department, Teaching Fellow, 2014-2016
- U.S. Department of Justice: Environmental Enforcement Section, Undergraduate Intern, 2008
Clerkships
- Hon. Max O. Cogburn, Jr., U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
Professional Recognition
Recipient of the King County Bar Association's Outstanding New Lawyer Award, 2025
Named in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, 2024-2026; Commercial Litigation, 2026
Member of trial team that received the District of Arizona’s Pro Bono Firm of the Year award, 2023
Life Fellow, American Bar Foundation
Top 40 Young Lawyer, American Bar Association "On the Rise," 2022
JD Supra Readers' Choice Top Author: Class Action – 2024 (#1 out of 2,500 contributors); Product Liability – Top 10 in 2021 and 2022, #2 out of 1,000 contributors in 2024
J. Shan Mullin Annual Community Leadership and Service Award, Perkins Coie, 2022
D.C. Bar Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2017, 2018, 2020 (High Honors)
Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association (WMACCA) Corporate Scholar, 2012
Special Recognition Award, U.S. Department of Justice: Environmental Enforcement Section, 2008
Impact
Professional Leadership
- Advisory Board, UCLA Law Resnick Center for Food Law & Policy, 2019-Present
- Serve Washington: Washington State Service Commission (Appointed by Governor), Commissioner, 2021-present
- American Bar Association (ABA)
Member, ABA House of Delegates, 2025-Present
Food, Cosmetics and Nutraceuticals Committee, Section of Science & Technology Law, Former Chair
Section of Science & Technology Law, Member - Section Council, 2018-2022
New Lawyer Steering Committee, Center for Professional Responsibility, Member - Oregon State Bar, Member - Oregon House of Delegates, 2025-Present
- Law360, Washington State Editorial Advisory Board Member, 2023-2025
- Washington State Bar Association, Committee on Professional Ethics, 2024-2025
- Hunger-Free America, Board of Directors
- Food & Drug Law Institute’s Cannabis-Derived Products Committee
- Food & Drug Law Institute (FDLI), Former Member of Multiple Committees
Community Involvement
- Prescription Drug Assistance Foundation, Board of Directors, 2021-present
Professional Experience
Experience
- Represented commercial real estate brokerage in multiple cases in different federal and state jurisdictions alleging tortious interference arising from the hiring of commercial real estate brokers formerly employed by a bankrupt competitor.*
- Counsel for multiple pharmaceutical companies defending nationwide antitrust class action suits brought by direct and indirect purchasers of certain drugs challenging the so-called "reverse payment" settlement of Hatch-Waxman patent litigation.*
- Represented several pro bono clients in administrative appeals for public benefits, including food stamps, disability benefits, and veteran benefits.*
*Prior Experience
Insights
