Tom Ajamie is an internationally-recognized trial lawyer who has successfully represented clients in complex commercial litigation and arbitration. The authoritative Chambers USA has described Tom as “a stupendous litigator with a winning attitude and work ethic.” He has handled a number of high-profile cases, including groundbreaking securities and financial cases, cross-border litigation, business contract disputes and employment issues. Tom has won two of the largest awards ever handed down by an arbitration panel for investors, including a $429.5 million award. He has also won a record $112 million civil RICO jury verdict.
Tom has been recognized by numerous legal publications and directories, including Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, Euromoney’s Benchmark Litigation, and Super Lawyers. The National Law Journal has named Tom one of its 50 Litigation Trailblazers. He was also honored as one of the nation’s 500 Leading Lawyers by Lawdragon, as well as that publication’s “100 Lawyers You Need to Know in Securities Litigation.” The Martindale-Hubbell law directory, which ranks the legal ability of lawyers, gave Tom an AV rating. He is also a life member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, whose membership is limited to attorneys who have won multi-million dollar verdicts, awards and settlements–fewer than 1% of U.S. attorneys.
Tom is regularly invited to give legal analysis by news media outlets including ABC, CNN, CNBC, NPR and BBC, and his work has been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The American Lawyer. He is the co-author of the book Financial Serial Killers: Inside the World of Wall Street Money Hustlers, Swindlers, and Con Men. His work on behalf of investors in the Bre-X gold scandal is featured in the book Fools’ Gold: the Making of a Global Market Fraud, by Brian Hutchinson.
The Ajamie Scholarship Fund was created by Tom as a way of promoting tolerance and equality among our youth. The Scholarship Fund offers university scholarships to students who display respect and support diversity initiatives in our society, without regard to race, religion, creed, skin color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability or sexual orientation.
Languages spoken
Spanish, English, French
State | Status | Acquired | Updated |
---|---|---|---|
NY | Currently registered | 2011 | 02/24/2022 |
TX | Eligible To Practice In Texas | 1985 | 05/28/2022 |
Legal answers | 0 |
Legal guides | 0 |
Award name | Grantor | Date Granted |
---|---|---|
Litigation Star | Benchmark Litigation | 2016 |
Listed, Texas and New York | Best Lawyers in America | 2016 |
Listed, 500 Leading Lawyers in America | Lawdragon | 2015 |
Selected | SuperLawyers | 2015 |
Litigation Star | Benchmark Litigation | 2015 |
Listed, Texas and New York | Best Lawyers in America | 2015 |
Leading Lawyer | Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business | 2015 |
Listed, 500 Leading Lawyers in America | Lawdragon | 2014 |
Listed, Texas and New York | Best Lawyers in America | 2014 |
Litigation Trailblazers and Pioneers | National Law Journal | 2014 |
Litigation Star | Benchmark Litigation | 2014 |
Leading Lawyer | Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business | 2014 |
Selected | SuperLawyers | 2014 |
Listed, Texas and New York | Best Lawyers in America | 2013 |
Listed, 500 Leading Lawyers in America | Lawdragon | 2013 |
Litigation Star | Benchmark Litigation | 2013 |
Leading Lawyer | Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business | 2013 |
Selected | SuperLawyers | 2013 |
Listed, 500 Leading Lawyers in America | Lawdragon | 2012 |
Leading Lawyer | Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business | 2012 |
Selected | SuperLawyers | 2012 |
Litigation Star | Benchmark Litigation | 2012 |
Listed, Texas and New York | Best Lawyers in America | 2012 |
Selected | SuperLawyers | 2011 |
Listed, 500 Leading Lawyers in America | Lawdragon | 2011 |
Litigation Star | Benchmark Litigation | 2011 |
Leading Lawyer | Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business | 2011 |
Selected | SuperLawyers | 2010 |
Listed, 500 Leading Lawyers in America | Lawdragon | 2010 |
Selected | SuperLawyers | 2009 |
Listed, 500 Leading Lawyers in America | Lawdragon | 2009 |
Selected | SuperLawyers | 2008 |
Listed, 100 Lawyers You Need to Know in Securities Litigation | Lawdragon | 2008 |
Listed, 500 Leading Lawyers in America | Lawdragon | 2008 |
Selected | SuperLawyers | 2007 |
Selected | SuperLawyers | 2006 |
Title | Company name | Duration |
---|---|---|
Managing Partner | Ajamie LLP | 1997 - Present |
Associate | Baker Botts, LLP | 1985 - 1997 |
Association name | Position name | Duration |
---|---|---|
Houston Grand Opera | Trustee | 2006 - Present |
American Bar Association | Member | 2005 - Present |
The Sundance Institute | Premier Benefactor | 2003 - Present |
Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum | Life Member | 2002 - Present |
International Bar Association | Member | 2001 - Present |
Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association | Member | 2000 - Present |
American Association for Justice | Member | 1998 - Present |
Houston Bar Association | Member | 1986 - Present |
State Bar of Texas | Member | 1985 - Present |
FINRA National Arbitration and Mediation Committee | Member | 2012 - 2015 |
Publication name | Title | Date |
---|---|---|
Financial Planning Association of New York eNews | Victimized: When to Refer Your Client to an Attorney | 2012 |
Texas Lawyer | Commentary: Help for Securities Fraud Plaintiffs Seeking Class Certification | 2011 |
Trial Magazine | Representing the Hedge Fund Investor | 2007 |
The Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) Business Torts Section Newsletter | Getting Grandma’s Nest Egg Back | 2006 |
ATLA Business Torts Section Newsletter | A Look at the Securities Arbitration Process | 2005 |
School name | Degree | Graduated |
---|---|---|
University of Notre Dame | Doctor of Jurisprudence/Juris Doctor (J.D.) | 1985 |
Universite Catholique De Louvain | 1982 | |
Arizona State University | Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) | 1982 |
Conference name | Title | Date |
---|---|---|
Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA) 24th Annual Meeting | Issues Facing Claimants' Attorneys | 2015 |
Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA) 23rd Annual Meeting | Damages | 2014 |
New York State Bar Association’s Spring CLE Program, New York | Securities Arbitration and Mediation: Telling Your Story | 2014 |
Union Internacionale des Avocats and New York State Bar Association 5th Business Law Forum, New York | The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: What’s Your Risk Exposure? | 2013 |
Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA) 22nd Annual Meeting | Overview of Securities Arbitration Matters | 2013 |
ALM’s Cross-Border M&A and Litigation Forum, New York | Looking Across the Globe: How Developments in FCPA Investigations and Regulations are Shaping the Future | 2013 |
AEGIS Insurance Claims Roundtable Program: “Managing Mass Tort Litigation” | Focus Groups and Jury Selection | 2013 |
The Financial Planning Association of New York Annual Forum | Keynote Address: “What Advisors Can Learn from the Financial Crisis & Scams” | 2012 |
Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA) 21st Annual Meeting | Insurance and Collection Issues: The Punch List for Claimants' Attorneys | 2012 |
Corporate Counsel’s Cross-Border Litigation Forum | The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: What’s Your Risk Exposure? | 2012 |
Association of Corporate Counsel’s National Litigation Committee Meeting | The Attorney-Client Privilege for In House Attorneys | 2012 |
Accountants Club of America Meeting | Keynote Address: “Financial Serial Killers,” | 2012 |
W!se MoneyPower Conference for Financial Literacy, The McGraw-Hill Companies | Financial Serial Killers | 2011 |
The Financial Planning Association of New York’s 9th Annual Financial Fitness Workshop | Keynote Address: “How To Detect and Deflect Scams & Schemes” | 2011 |
NALSC 2011 Spring Conference | Keynote Address: “Greed, Ego, Power, Ethics & the Law” | 2011 |
CFA Society of Houston Program | The Financial Serial Killers Among Us | 2011 |
ALM’s Controlling Legal Costs: Valuing, Measuring and Enhancing the Delivery of Legal Services | Turning Commercial Litigation into Commerce–The Corporate Legal Department as a Profit Center | 2010 |
ALM’s 2nd Annual Litigation Summit | Turning Commercial Litigation into Commerce–The Corporate Legal Department as a Profit Center | 2010 |
Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA) 18th Annual Meeting | Regulation D, TICs, and Unlisted REITS | 2009 |
Corporate Counsel’s 7th Annual General Counsel Conference West Coast Conference | Thinking Like a Plaintiff | 2009 |
Corporate Counsel’s 21st Annual General Counsel Conference | Doing Ethical Business in Europe: Are You Ready for Multi-Cultural Legal Operations? | 2009 |
American Chamber of Commerce of México: Reunión del Comité de Seguridad | La Seguridad Empresarial–Cómo Evitar que un Pleito de Negocios Resulte en Cargos Criminales (Business Security: How to Prevent a Business Dispute from Resulting in Criminal Charges) | 2008 |
AEGIS Policyholder Conference Roundtable Program: “Success Through Utilizing AEGIS’ Gas & Electric Litigation Services” | Surviving and Succeeding Under the Media Spotlight | 2008 |
The American Association for Justice (AAJ) 2006 Annual Convention | Litigating Insurance Product Claims | 2006 |
Securities Industry Association (SIA)/Wharton Securities Industry Institute 54th Annual Program | A Mock Arbitration: As Close as You Can Get | 2006 |
AAJ 2006 Annual Convention | A Basic Primer on Hedge Funds | 2006 |
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