Thomas R. Wright
Judge Thomas R. Wright was elected to the Eleventh District Court of Appeals in November 2010 to a term commencing February 2011. He earned his B.S. in Business Administration from The Ohio State University in 1986. After working for several years, Judge Wright began his legal studies at the University of Toledo College of Law. While in law school, he was a Law Review Technical Editor and one of four third year law students chosen to serve as a teaching assistant for incoming first year students. He received his J.D. with honors in 1991.
Upon admission to the Ohio Bar in 1991, Judge Wright served as a law clerk for the Honorable Donald R. Ford, Sr. of the Eleventh District Court of Appeals. After his clerkship, Judge Wright spent 17 years as a trial and appellate lawyer primarily in the Ohio state courts. In civil practice, he represented both plaintiffs and defendants primarily in the areas of professional malpractice, product liability, premises liability, general liability, and insurance coverage. His criminal practice consisted primarily of felony defense. Along with his private practice, he also served as an Acting Judge with the Trumbull County Eastern District Court where he presided over the civil and criminal docket of the court by request.
Judge Wright was named the 2005-2006 Mahoning County Bar Association Lawyer of the Year for advancing the skills of the legal profession and performing outstanding legal work. He was admitted to practice in all Ohio state courts in 1991 and in the United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio and the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1996.
Judge Wright is a member of the bar associations in Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Mahoning, Portage, and Trumbull counties as well as a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the Ohio Appellate Judges Association.