J. Pierre Tismo

Trial Attorney Pierre Tismo is highly experienced in complex catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. He joined Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz in 2005 after trying cases for 7 years as a prosecutor in Chicago and after medical negligence and wrongful death litigation in Cincinnati and Kentucky for another 7 years. Since joining Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz from 2005 through December 2017, Pierre has resolved cases for the injured in excess of $75 million. $39 million involved semi-trucks or commercial vehicle crashes and $19 million involved wrongful death cases. He has resolved 14 cases of $1 million or more with 2 cases over $4 million and 27 cases between $500,000 and $1 million. His highest individual award is $8.5 million. As a prosecutor, he tried cases such as first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault, and other violent crimes to jury verdict. He used that training to defend individuals charged with first-degree murder, cocaine and marijuana trafficking, and other violent crimes. He now only uses that trial experience to be the voice for the injured.

This litigation expertise has led to Pierre spearheading the Firm’s prosecution of Federal Multidistrict Litigation class action cases involving securities fraud and defective pharmaceuticals. He has been appointed Special Counsel to the Ohio Attorney General in the BP Securities Fraud Litigation pending in Federal Court in Houston, TX due to the 2010 explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.

Pierre has spoken to the Ohio Association for Justice, on “Focus Groups on a Shoe String Budget” (formerly the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers—OATL), the Kentucky Justice Association on jury selection (formerly the Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys—KATA), the Kentucky Bar Association (KBA) during the new lawyers program and the Northern Kentucky Bar Association (NKBA) on trial tactics & advocacy.

He chaired and moderated several annual personal injury seminars for the NKBA and served for several elected terms on the KATA Board of Governors. As an adjunct faculty member at The Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University, Pierre taught trial advocacy classes and coached several trial teams.

He is admitted to practice in Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, and several U.S. District Courts and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

While as a law student at the University Of Dayton School Of Law, Pierre received the Banks-Baldwin Clinical Program Book Award for the outstanding clinical program student at the University of Dayton Law Clinic. Pierre was also awarded the 1990 American Jurisprudence Book Award for being an outstanding student in Civil Trial Practice.

Specialized Practice Areas

• Personal Injury
• Medical Malpractice
• Defective Products
• Securities Fraud

Bar Admission

• Illinois, 1991
• Ohio, 1997
• Kentucky, 1997
• U.S District Court, 1997
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Kentucky, 1997
• U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit, 2000

Professional Accomplishments

• Super Lawyers (2021)
• Super Lawyers (2020)
• Banks-Baldwin Clinical Program Book Award
• 1990 American Jurisprudence Book Award
• Ohio Super Lawyer

Education

• University of Dayton School of Law (J.D. 1991)
• University of Dayton (B.A. 1988)

Professional Qualification

• American Association for Justice
• Dayton Bar Association
• Kentucky Bar Association
• Kentucky Justice Association
• Ohio Association for Justice
• Ohio State Bar Association

Pro Bono Activity

• Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers
• Ohio Bar Association
• Kentucky Bar Association
• Ohio Association for Justice