Thomas F. Coates III

Thomas F. Coates, III ("Tom") is co-founder, as well as an officer, director, shareholder and executive committee member of the Firm. Tom began his practice as a U.S. Army lawyer and later focused his practice on civil rights, criminal defense and civil litigation. In the early- to mid-1970s, he also served as Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Richmond, where he prosecuted thousands of criminal cases, including more than 50 felony jury trials.

After founding the Firm in 1974 (originally as Coates & Comess, thereafter as Coates & Davenport, and now as Coates, Battle & Tyree), Tom's primary areas of practice included litigation (both civil and criminal), commercial transactions, corporate, divorce and family law. He has an extensive background in real estate and business transactions from residential and commercial real estate purchases and sales to major corporate mergers and acquisitions.

Tom has provided general business and corporate legal advice to businesses, professional practices and their managements on matters pertaining to organizational structure and restructuring, debt and equity capital formation, strategic planning and marketing, contract negotiation, risk management, executive compensation and severance, restrictive covenants, intellectual property protection, and prevention and/or resolution of shareholder/partnership/limited liability company membership-management disputes.

He has life-long and extensive involvement in the Richmond and Commonwealth business and non-profit communities, serving as a board member for various corporations. He was chairman of the organizing committee and an initial director in the formation and start-up of First Capital Bank in Richmond, and has served on the boards of and as counsel for numerous non-profit educational and charitable organizations and institutions in Virginia and beyond.