Tom Rice is an experienced trial attorney and negotiator who creates successful dispute resolutions with innovative, outside of the box thinking. His civil litigation practice emphasizes product liability, pharmaceuticals, employment litigation and insurance issues. He also advises clients on newly developing cyber-liability issues.

Tom has tried cases in numerous states for various Fortune 500 companies, and coordinates national, regional and industry-wide litigation. Tom has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®  for Defendants in Product Liability Litigation, Insurance Litigation, and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. Tom also has been selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers® every year since its inception in 2005.

When not in the office, Tom can usually be found on the water. Formerly a PADI certified rescue diver, he now spends his down time above the water piloting his classic Air Nautique wake boat.

 

Memberships & Activities

• Product Liability Advisory Council
  •  Cyber-Liability: IOT and AI Products Action Group
• Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel
  • Toxic Tort and Environmental Section
  • Technology Law Section
  • Economics of Trial Practice & Technology in Business Practice
  • Section (Vice Chair 2000-2001)
• Claims and Litigation Management Alliance
  •  Member
• Coalition of Food Industry Counsel
• American Counsel Association
• ASTM
  • Committee D10 on Packaging
  • Committee E50 on Environmental Assessment
• Association of Defense Trial Attorneys
• ALFA International
  • Co-Chair of the 2016 EPLI Program
  • Steering Committee Member, Insurance Practice Group
  • Steering Committee Member, Product Liability & Complex Torts Practice Group
  • Steering Committee Member, Labor & Employment Practice Group
  • Steering Committee Member, Professional Liability Practice Group
• Defense Research Institute
  • Cybersecurity and Data Privacy
  • Drug and Medical Device
  • Trial Tactics and Techniques Committee
  • Industry-wide Litigation Committee (Legislative Affairs Liaison)
  • Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Committee
  • Economics and Management of Law Practice Committee
  • Children’s Products SLG (Liaison with the Juvenile Products Manufacturer’s Association)
• American Bar Association
  • Litigation Section (Product Liability, Insurance Coverage, Environmental Law and Corporate Counsel Committees)
  • Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law Section
• Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
• The Fellows of the American Bar Association, Sustaining Life Fellow
• The Network of Trial Law Firms, Chair, (1998-1999)
• Kansas Association of Defense Counsel
• Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers
• State Bar of Kansas
• State Bar of Missouri
• Mortgage Bankers Association

Publications

• Contributing editor: "Missouri Civil Procedure Form Book."
• Author: Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel Guide - A Guide to Helpful Technology and Intellectual Property Websites (2000 – 2002).
• Author: Federation of Defense and Corporate Article - Proposed Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Amendments Concerning Electronic Discovery: Will They Be Enough? (2005).
• Regional editor: ALFA Labor & Employment Compendium – Recent Significant Federal Employment-Related Case Law (2008).
• Contributing author: ALFA Labor & Employment Compendium - Recent Significant Federal Employment-Related Case Law, Eighth Circuit section (2008).
• Contributing author: ALFA Labor & Employment Compendium - Recent Significant Employment-Related Case Law and Statutes, Kansas and Missouri sections (2008).
• Contributing author: ALFA Insurance Compendium – Life, Accident and Health Law, Kansas and Missouri sections (2008).
• Contributing author: ALFA Insurance Compendium – Property & Casualty Law, Kansas and Missouri sections (2008).
• Contributing author: Product Liability Advisory Council Handbook - Product Liability Jury Instructions (2010).
• Contributing author: DRI Insurance Compendium - Bad Faith Law, Missouri, Illinois and Kansas sections (2010).
• Contributing author: DRI Insurance Compendium - Bad Faith Law, Kansas and Illinois sections (2015).
• Contributing author: ALFA Insurance Compendium - Property & Casualty Law, Kansas and Missouri sections (2015).
• Contributing author: ALFA Insurance Compendium - Life & Health Law, Kansas and Missouri sections (2015).
• Contributing author: ALFA Labor and Employment Compendium - Labor and Employment Law in 50 States, Kansas and Missouri sections (2015).
• Contributing author: DRI-JPMA Summary - Child Product Liability Law for the United States and Canada (2015).
• Regional editor: DRI Insurance Compendium - The Law of Life Insurance Claims: Key Issues in Each State (2016).
• Contributing author: DRI Insurance Compendium - The Law of Life Insurance Claims: Key Issues in Each State, Missouri section (2016).
• Contributing author: ALFA Professional Liability Compendium - Statutes of Limitations for Accountants by State, Missouri and Kansas sections (2016).
• Contributing author: ALFA Professional Liability Compendium - Statutes of Limitations for Legal Malpractice by State, Missouri and Kansas, sections (2016).
• Editor: ALFA Insurance Program Materials - Joint EPL/PL Program (2016).
• Contributing author: DRI Insurance Compendium – The Law of Life Insurance: Key Issues in Each State, Missouri section (2017).
• Contributing author: DRI Rescission Compendium, Kansas chapter (2017).
• Contributing author: ALFA Product Liability & Complex Torts Compendium, Kansas chapter (2017).
• Contributing author: ALFA Insurance Compendium, Missouri and Kansas chapters (2017).
• Contributing author: ALFA Employment & Labor Compendium, Missouri and Kansas chapters (2017).
• Contributing author: ALFA International Advantage - Dollars, Cents, and Bitcoin: Identify and Calculating Damages for Insurers Facing a Cyber Event (2017).

Presentations

• International Presentations:
• Litigation Trends in the United States - (Risk Management Counsel of Canada) Toronto, Canada.
• National Presentations:
• Ethical Challenges for In-House Counsel - (ACCA) Stamford, CA.
• Investigation of Technology and Intellectual Property Issues through the Internet - (Federation of Insurance and Corporate Counsel) Silverado, CA.
• Emerging Trends in Product Liability - (ACCA) Cleveland, OH.
• Testimony Regarding Proposed Revisions to F.R.C.P. Rule 26 and Rule 34 on Behalf of Defense Research Institute Industry-wide Litigation Committee - (Judicial Advisory Committee Hearing on Proposed Revisions to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, U.S. Judicial Conference) Chicago, IL.
• Litigation Risk Analysis: Decision Tree Analysis and Monte Carlo Simulation - (The Network of Trial Law Firms) Kiawah Island, SC.
• Proposed Amendments to Discovery Rules of the FRCP: Moving Toward a More "Civil" Practice - (The Network of Trial Law Firms) Palm Beach, FL.
• Litigation Strategies for the Dangerous Case - (Coalition of Food Industry Counsel) Tucson, AZ.
• The Emergence of Extranets for Litigation Management - (American Bar Association, Litigation Section, Corporate Counsel Committee) St. Petersburg, FL.
• The Coming Collision: The Restatement (Third) of Torts and Proposed Revisions for UCC Article 2 - (The Network of Trial Law Firms) Palm Springs, CA.
• Insurance Coverage Issues for Y2K Litigation - (The Network of Trial Law Firms) Palm Beach, FL.
• Emerging Evidence Issues in Intellectual Property Litigation - (Federation of Insurance and Corporate Counsel) San Antonio, TX.
• Emerging Issues of E-Discovery - (Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel) Milwaukee, WI.
• Multiple Carrier Coordination and Allocation - (ALFA International) New York, NY.
• The Future of EPLI Claims Settlement - (ALFA International) New York, NY.
• Medicare as Secondary Payer: Surviving the Reimbursement Revolution Since the MMSEE - (Product Liability Advisory Council), San Antonio, TX.
• The A, B, C's of Medicare Recovery (ALFA International) Tele-seminar.
• Staying Ahead Of The Game: How Employers Can Cope With Changing Laws And Increased Regulatory Scrutiny - (ALFA International) Dana Point, CA.
• Cyber Liability and Data Breaches in the Workforce – (ALFA International) New York, NY.
• Dollars, Cents, and Bitcoin: Identify and Calculating Damages for Insurers Facing a Cyber Event – (ALFA International) New York, NY.

Awards & Recognition

• AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
• Selected for inclusion in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers®, 2005-present.
• Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers® in America, Kansas City Metropolitan Area
  • Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants (2018-present)
  • Insurance Litigation (2019)
  • Product Liability Litigation - Defendants (2019)
• Fellow of the American Bar Association

News & Events

Thomas Rice Serving as Course Book Editor for Upcoming ALFA International Program

03.18.16 | Thomas Rice is serving as course book editor for the insurance track of the upcoming program "Enlightening the EPL/PL World" jointly hosted by ALFA International's Insurance Law, Labor & Employment, and Professional Liability Practice Groups.

Thomas Rice Serves as Co-Chair of EPL/PL Program Hosted by ALFA International

03.18.16 | Thomas Rice is serving as co-chair of the upcoming program ”Enlightening The EPL/PL World” jointly hosted by ALFA International’s Insurance Law, Labor & Employment, and Professional Liability Practice Groups. A Steering Committee Member of the Insurance Law, Professional Liability and Labor & Employment Practice Groups, Mr. Rice is serving as co-chair on behalf of the Insurance Practice Group...

Thomas Rice Serves as Moderator For Cyber Liability and Data Breach Panel

03.18.16 | Thomas Rice will moderate a panel on cyber liability and data breaches in the workforce and related legal and ethical considerations for in-house counsel, corporate risk management and law firms. Panel members feature representatives from three different insurance companies with cyber liability expertise plus an attorney from ALFA International’s Los Angeles, California member firm...

Rice Selected to Act as State Liaison to the Juvenile Products Manufacturer's Association

06.24.13 | Thomas E. Rice has been selected by the Children's Products SLG of the DRI Product Liability Committee to act as a State Liaison to the Juvenile Products Manufacturer's Association ("JPMA"). The JPMA is the leading trade association for the juvenile products industry.

Rice Authors Article to be Published in ALFA Product Liability Newsletter

12.20.11 | Thomas Rice's submission of an article regarding a recent product liability decision rendered by the Kansas Supreme Court will be published in the upcoming February/March edition of the ALFA Product Liability Practice Group's Newsletter. The February/March edition of the newsletter is the group's annual "Year in Review" issue, which comprises of case notes from the highest court of each state dealing with product issues from 2011.

Rice to Co-Chair ALFA Joint Practice Group Seminar

07.20.11 | Thomas Rice is the program co-chair for the June 2012 ALFA seminar to be jointly sponsored by the Insurance, Professional Liability and Labor & Employment practice groups.

Rice and Eisenberg Serve as Regional Editors for State Employment Law Compendium

05.04.11 | Tom Rice and David Eisenberg are currently serving as a Regional Editors for the next edition of the ALFA State Employment Compendium. The Compendium will cover laws and significant developments on topics selected by the ALFA Labor & Employment practice group and will be published in advance of the 2012 ALFA International Client Seminar, at which the Labor & Employment group will be featured presenters. . .

Rice Speaks at ALFA Labor & Employment Seminar

12.01.10 | At the November 2010 ALFA Labor & Employment meeting in Dana Point, CA, Thomas Rice spoke on the topic of "Staying Ahead Of The Game: How Employers Can Cope With Changing Laws And Increased Regulatory Scrutiny".

Rice and Stubbs to Co-Author Chapters of PLAC 50 State Survey

08.30.10 | Tom Rice and Kara Stubbs have been asked by the Child Product SLG to co-author the Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska chapters of a 50 state survey on parental negligence as a defense to a child's recovery for presentation at the 2011 DRI Product Liability Conference.

Rice Speaks on Medicare Secondary Payer Act

08.16.10 | Tom Rice was a speaker on the August 11th ALFA tele-seminar "The A, B, Cs of Medicare's Right of Recovery". The audience for this tele-seminar was the largest ever attending an ALFA tele-seminar in over 38 programs given during ALFA's seven year history of tele-seminars.

Rice to Speak on Professional Liability Issues at Chartis Seminar

06.03.10 | Tom Rice will be speaking at an upcoming Chartis in-house seminar to be held in New York on June 16. Tom's presentation will address "Avoiding Claims Against Officers and Directors".

BSCR Attorneys Prepare and File PLAC Amicus Brief with Missouri Supreme Court

06.03.10 | At the request of the Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC), Tom Rice, Angela Higgins and Bryan Mouber prepared and filed with the Missouri Supreme Court an amicus brief on behalf of Ford Motor Company. The primary focus of the amicus brief addressed whether Missouri law on proximate cause allows a plaintiff to argue in a product liability case that she would not have purchased the product in question (five years before her accident) had the manufacturer provided her with "adequate" warnings about the product's safety performance during an accident.

Rice Contributes Chapters to DRI and PLAC Publications

05.24.10 | Tom Rice is a contributing editor for the Missouri, Illinois and Kansas chapters of the 2010 DRI Insurance Bad Faith Compendium. Also, Tom is a contributing editor for the Missouri chapter of the 2010 PLAC Jury Instruction Handbook.

Results

Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice Wins Defense Verdict in Asbestos-Related Matter

After a week-long trial in a St. Louis area court,Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice won a defense verdict for a flooring subcontractor client in an asbestos-related case in which our client was sued by its general contractor for $1.2 million in damages...

Blog Posts

A CGL Policy May Provide A Duty To Defend Data Breach Claims – 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Decision

04.14.16 | The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a commercial general liability policy (CGL) may cover a data breach, at least for the purposes of a duty to defend. In a case involving the publication of private medical records on the internet, the federal appellate court agreed with the lower federal district court in Virginia that coverage included in a CGL for personal and advertising injury applied.

Class Actions Based on Wrongful Application Of Labor Depreciation In Property Insurance Claims Are Active In Missouri

04.10.15 | Three separate class actions have been filed in Missouri challenging how depreciation is used in calculating the actual cash value of property damage under homeowners and commercial property insurance policies.

New Kansas gun law affects employers and premises owners

11.14.14 | Recently enacted Kansas law changes the rules for business owners who wish to restrict firearms on their premises.