Thomas S. Berkley
Practice Focus:
Litigation
Maritime
Suretyship and Bonds
Labor & Employment
Contact Information
Norfolk Office
500 World Trade Center
Norfolk, Virginia 23510
(757) 446-8535
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Tom is an attorney with Vandeventer Black with a civil and administrative litigation practice in maritime, labor and employment, suretyship and general litigation matters.
He assists the firm’s maritime clients with numerous issues, including but not limited to seamen injuries, ship mortgages and collisions. Tom’s practice also includes his representation of an association of commercial fishermen from North Carolina and Virginia. He provides advice on the heavily regulated industry, particularly with regard to federal court actions against the U.S. Department of Commerce.
In the area of labor and employment law, Tom represents the interest of an international maritime construction company in state and federal workers’ compensation claims brought in various jurisdictions along the East Coast, as well as in claims brought by employee - seamen in state and federal courts.
Tom’s surety practice focuses on his representation of an international surety company in fiduciary matters for estate and commercial litigation.
He defends a mutual fund, established by the Commonwealth of Virginia, in state and federal courts. The fund protects companies, which become entangled in products liability, premises liability and personal injury claims, from the insolvency of their insurance carriers.
Tom earned a B.A. from the University of Virginia, which provided him the opportunities to complete programs at the University of London and the McIntire Business Institute. He earned a J.D. from The College of William & Mary School of Law. Tom served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Lydia C. Taylor, Norfolk Circuit Court. He is licensed to practice in Virginia and is a member of the Norfolk & Portsmouth and Virginia Bar Associations and the Virginia State Bar. He is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of Virginia and federal administrative forums along the East Coast.
Tom serves as Executive Secretary on the Board of the Virginia Zoological Society and also volunteers his time to the Norfolk Academy Alumni Association.