Attorneys
Thomas E. Rice
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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. He is a co-chair of Baker Sterchi's Product Liability Practice Group, and has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for his defense of 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.
Industries
- Automotive
- Banking
- Construction
- Food & Beverage
- Healthcare
- Hospitality & Leisure
- Insurance
- Pharmaceutical & Medical Device
- Recreational Transportation
- Retail
- Trucking
Practices
- Appellate
- Commercial
- Complex, Class Action & MDL
- Construction, Fidelity & Surety
- Cyber Liability, Privacy & Data Breach
- Employment & Labor
- Financial Services Litigation
- Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith
- Intellectual Property
- Personal Injury Defense
- Premises Liability
- Product Liability
- Professional & Management Liability
- Toxic/Mass Tort & Environmental
Admissions
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Missouri
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
Education
- Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D.
- Vanderbilt University, B.A. (Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude)
Memberships & Activities
- 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
- American Bar Association
- Litigation Section (Product Liability, Insurance Coverage, Environmental Law and Corporate Counsel Committees)
- Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law Section
- American Counsel Association
- ASTM
- Committee D10 on Packaging
- Committee E50 on Environmental Assessment
- Claims and Litigation Management Alliance
- Member
- Coalition of Food Industry Counsel
- Defense Research Institute
- Commercial Litigation Committee
- Construction Law Committee
- Cybersecurity and Data Privacy
- Drug and Medical Device Committee
- Employment Law Committee
- Fidelity & Surety Committee
- Government Liability Committee
- Insurance Law Committee
- Law Practice Management Committee
- Life, Health and Disability Committee
- Medical Liability and Health Care Law Committee
- Product Liability Committee
- Children’s Products SLG (Former Liaison with the Juvenile Products Manufacturer’s Association)
- Industry-wide Litigation Committee (Former Legislative Affairs Liaison)
- Professional Liability Committee
- Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Committee
- Trial Tactics and Techniques Committee
- Trucking Law Committee
- 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)
- Fellows of the American Bar Association, Sustaining Life Fellow
- Kansas Association of Defense Counsel
- Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
- Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers
- Mortgage Bankers Association
- Product Liability Advisory Council
- Cyber-Liability: IOT and AI Products Action Group
- State Bar of Kansas
- State Bar of Missouri
- The Network of Trial Law Firms, Chair, (1998-1999)
Publications
- Contributing author: Insurance Law Compendium (Missouri and Kansas) , ALFA Insurance Practice Group (2019)
- Contributing author: Employment Law Compendium (Missouri and Kansas), ALFA International Labor & Employment Practice Group (2019)
- Contributing author: Insurance Policy Rescission Compendium (Kansas), Defense Research Institute (2018)
- Contributing author: Dollars, Cents, and Bitcoin: Identify and C1alculating Damages for Insurers Facing a Cyber Event, ALFA International Advantage (2017)
- Contributing author: Employment Law Compendium (Missouri and Kansas), ALFA International Labor & Employment Practice Group (2017)
- Contributing author: Insurance Law Compendium (Missouri and Kansas), ALFA International Insurance Practice Group (2017)
- Contributing author: Product Liability & Complex Torts Law Compendium (Kansas), ALFA International Product Liability & Complex Torts Practice Group (2017)
- Contributing author: Insurance Policy Rescission Compendium (Kansas), Defense Research Institute (2017)
- Contributing author: Insurance Compendium – The Law of Life Insurance: Key Issues in Each State (Missouri), Defense Research Institute (2017)
- Editor: Joint EPL/PL Program Materials, ALFA International Insurance Practice Group (2016)
- Contributing author: Professional Liability Law Compendium - Statutes of Limitations for Legal Malpractice by State (Missouri and Kansas), ALFA International Professional Liability Practice Group (2016)
- Contributing author: Professional Liability Law Compendium - Statutes of Limitations for Accountants by State (Missouri and Kansas), ALFA International Professional Liability Practice Group (2016)
- Contributing author: Insurance Law Compendium - The Law of Life Insurance Claims: Key Issues in Each State (Missouri), Defense Research Institute (2016)
- Regional editor: Insurance Law Compendium - The Law of Life Insurance Claims: Key Issues in Each State, Defense Research Institute (2016)
- Contributing author: Child Product Liability Law Summary for the United States and Canada, Defense Research Institute-Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (2015)
- Contributing author: Labor and Employment Law 50 State Compendium (Kansas and Missouri), ALFA International Labor & Employment Practice Group (2015)
- Contributing author: Insurance Law Compendium - Life & Health (Kansas and Missouri), ALFA International Insurance Practice Group (2015)
- Contributing author: Insurance LawCompendium - Property & Casualty (Kansas and Missouri), ALFA International Insurance Practice Group (2015)
- Contributing author: Insurance Law Compendium - Bad Faith (Kansas and Illinois), Defense Research Institute (2015)
- Contributing author: Insurance Law Compendium - Bad Faith (Missouri, Illinois and Kansas), Defense Research Institute (2010)
- Contributing author: Product Liability Advisory Council Handbook - Product Liability Jury Instructions (2010)
- Contributing author: Insurance Law Compendium – Property & Casualty (Kansas and Missouri), ALFA International Insurance Practice Group (2008)
- Contributing author: Insurance Law Compendium – Life, Accident and Health (Kansas and Missouri), ALFA International Insurance Practice Group (2008)
- Contributing author: Labor & Employment Law Compendium (Kansas and Missouri), ALFA International Labor & Employment Practice Group (2008)
- Contributing author: Labor & Employment Law Compendium - Recent Significant Federal Employment-Related Case Law (Eighth Circuit), ALFA International Labor & Employment Practice Group (2008)
- Regional editor: Labor & Employment Law Compendium – Recent Significant Federal Employment-Related Case Law, ALFA Labor & Employment Law Practice Group (2008)
- Author: Proposed Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Amendments Concerning Electronic Discovery: Will They Be Enough?, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (2005)
- Author: A Guide to Helpful Technology and Intellectual Property Websites, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (2000-2002)
- Contributing editor: Missouri Civil Procedure Form Book
Presentations
- International Presentations:
- Litigation Trends in the United States, (Risk Management Counsel of Canada) Toronto, Canada
- National Presentations:
- Dollars, Cents, and Bitcoin: Identify and Calculating Damages for Insurers Facing a Cyber Event, (ALFA International) New York, NY
- Cyber Liability and Data Breaches in the Workforce, (ALFA International) New York, NY
- Staying Ahead Of The Game: How Employers Can Cope With Changing Laws And Increased Regulatory Scrutiny, (ALFA International) Dana Point, CA
- The A, B, C's of Medicare Recovery, (ALFA International) Tele-seminar
- Medicare as Secondary Payer: Surviving the Reimbursement Revolution Since the MMSEE, (Product Liability Advisory Council) San Antonio, TX
- The Future of EPLI Claims Settlement, (ALFA International) New York, NY
- Multiple Carrier Coordination and Allocation, (ALFA International) New York, NY
- Emerging Issues of E-Discovery, (Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel) Milwaukee, WI
- Emerging Evidence Issues in Intellectual Property Litigation, (Federation of Insurance and Corporate Counsel) San Antonio, TX
- Insurance Coverage Issues for Y2K Litigation, (The Network of Trial Law Firms) Palm Beach, 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
- The Emergence of Extranets for Litigation Management, (American Bar Association, Litigation Section, Corporate Counsel Committee) St. Petersburg, FL
- Litigation Strategies for the Dangerous Case, (Coalition of Food Industry Counsel) Tucson, AZ
- Proposed Amendments to Discovery Rules of the FRCP: Moving Toward a More "Civil" Practice, (The Network of Trial Law Firms) Palm Beach, FL
- Litigation Risk Analysis: Decision Tree Analysis and Monte Carlo Simulation, (The Network of Trial Law Firms) Kiawah Island, SC
- 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
- Emerging Trends in Product Liability, (ACCA) Cleveland, OH
- Investigation of Technology and Intellectual Property Issues through the Internet, (Federation of Insurance and Corporate Counsel) Silverado, CA
- Ethical Challenges for In-House Counsel, (ACCA) Stamford, CA
Awards & Recognition
- Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated
- Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers®, 2005-present
- Best Lawyers® in America, Kansas City Metropolitan Area
- Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants (2018-present)
- Insurance Litigation (2019-present)
- Product Liability Litigation - Defendants (2019-present)
- Fellow of the American Bar Association
