JR Thomas, Member of Volkema Thomas
J.R. was raised in north Florida, eventually migrating via graduate and law school to Ohio. Since his admission to the practice of law in 1979, he has worked in house for two insurance companies, served as assistant city prosecutor for the city of Columbus, Ohio, and since 1982, been engaged in practice as a civil trial lawyer. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
J.R. has handled many significant cases involving injury and death related to auto accidents, defective products, electrocutions, medical negligence, brain injury, legal malpractice, truck accidents, and airplane crashes. Several of these matters have resulted in multi-million-dollar settlements or verdicts.
Areas of Practice
Personal Injury
Malpractice
Insurance Bad Faith
Product Liability
Education
J.D. Ohio Northern University
B.S. Bethune Cookman College
Admitted to Practice
The Ohio State Bar
The Kentucky Bar Association
Supreme Court of the United States
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
U.S. Court of Appeal for the Sixth Circuit
Additional Information
Ohio Super Lawyers, 2005, 2006, 2007,2008 and 2009
The Ohio Association for Justice (formerly the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers)
The Central Ohio Association for Justice (formerly the Franklin County Trial Lawyers Association)
The Columbus Bar Association
The American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America)
Strathmore’s Who’s Who
Columbus Business First
Who’s Who in Law, 1994
Recent Data
In 2008, JR participated as trial counsel in a case against the Franklin County, Ohio, Sheriff's Office for its failure to properly respond to the repeated 9-1-1 calls for emergency help from a woman who was being physically and sexually assaulted, resulting in her murder, and the jury awarded $2.75 million dollar judgment. JR received the 2008 Louisville Slugger Award from the Central Ohio Association for Justice for his work on this case.
JR participated as trial counsel in a case that resulted in a multi-million-dollar verdict for a Wisconsin woman severely injured while riding a roller coaster at a northeast Ohio amusement park.
In 2004, JR participated in the representation of an individual who experienced a severe brain injury as a result of being rear-ended by a semi tractor on the inner city portion of Interstate 70.
In 2003, he participated in a case that was resolved for the benefit of a minor who suffered a traumatic brain injury when a semi truck pulled in front of the vehicle driven by his mother. Guaranteed pay out was in excess of $9 million, with a full life expectancy pay out in excess of $21 million.
In 2001, JR tried to verdict a medical malpractice case in Hamilton County, Ohio, resulting in a $1.5 million verdict on behalf of his client.
