Tom joined Sebaly Shillito + Dyer in 2009 as a Summer Associate and started full-time in September 2011 as an associate in the Corporate Law Department.  Tom has a passion for entrepreneurship and enjoys working with businesses of all types and sizes.

Tom studied law at the University of Dayton School of Law, where he received his J.D., cum laude, in May 2011.  Tom focused his studies on transactional and business law to compliment his business and finance backgrounds.  While at UD, he served as a staff writer on the Law Review and on the Executive Board of the Student Bar Association.  Tom earned CALI awards for achieving the highest grades in his Criminal Law, Evidence, and Trial Practice courses and co-authored three articles published on Lexis.com that analyze various emerging issues in the law (see below).  He also served as an extern at the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.

Tom earned his B.S. in Finance from Miami University in 2008.  While at Miami, he served as President of his nearly 100-member fraternity, Sigma Alpha Mu.  He also earned various awards for his leadership and community engagement activities, including the Exceptional Public Speaker Award and the Parents Council Award for Intellectual and Cultural Leadership.  Tom also played drums for the classic rock band “Flanner Hall,” which performed weekly concerts at local venues in Oxford, Ohio.

Prior to joining Sebaly Shillito + Dyer, Tom interned at CityWide Development Corporation in Dayton where he worked closely with local professionals on strategic economic and neighborhood development projects.  He also was actively involved with the Boy Scouts of America and spent a summer in Leysin, Switzerland, where he was employed as a Leadership and Outdoor Survival Specialist for an international summer camp. 

Tom grew up in Dayton and graduated from Oakwood High School in 2004, where he was a State Academic Decathlon Champion and Captain of the varsity soccer team.

Tom was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 2011.  He is a member of the Ohio and Dayton Bar Associations and is actively involved with the Dayton Volunteer Lawyer's Project.  In his free time, Tom enjoys the outdoors, playing soccer, cooking, politics, playing the drums, and spending time with his family.  He and his wife, Breanne, met in law school and were married in September 2011.  Tom is an avid and loyal Dayton Flyers basketball fan.

Published Works:

Danyelle Wright and Thomas J. Whalen, Wright on Conkright v. Frommert, 2010 Emerging Issues 5070 (May 24, 2010), available at Lexis.com.

Danyelle Wright and Thomas J. Whalen, Wright on Health Care Service Corp. v. Pollitt, 2010 Emerging Issues 4923 (May 23, 2010), available at Lexis.com.

Danyelle S.T. Wright and Thomas J. Whalen, Wright on Genetic Information Nondiscimination Act of 2008 (GINA), 2009 Emerging Issues 4538 (Nov. 5, 2009), available at Lexis.com.