Tom began his legal career as a civil litigation attorney in Los Angeles, California where he gained extensive experience in product liability, mass tort, insurance defense and general business litigation. He has gained experience in various areas of law since his return to Ohio in 1993.
As General Counsel for the Ohio Turnpike Commission, he became well versed in employee/employer matters, contract administration, risk management, regulatory matters and various concerns associated with both private and public corporations. He was an administrator that managed the Commission’s insurance manager and worker’s compensation administrator with a staff of eight.
He was counsel to the Turnpike’s collective bargaining negotiating team and routinely arbitrated union grievances on behalf of the Commission. He successfully acted as facilitator for negotiations between the Cleveland Catholic Diocese and the Catholic High School Association of Lay Teachers. He has pursued and defended claims based upon federal laws such as the ADA, FMLA, EEOC and FLSA
He served as the Vice-Chair of the law committee for an international organization of toll facilities and was a keynote speaker. Between May 2003 and July 2006, his practice was focused on representing small to midsize companies for employment, labor and worker’s compensation issues. He also draws on his years of litigation and conflict resolution to represent URS Corporation in large scale multi-million dollar disputes and lawsuits.
At Cleary & Associates Mr. Amato utilizes his twenty plus years of litigation to represent a large group of self insured companies in various issues.
Professional Memberships
Ohio Bar Association
California Bar Association
United States District Court for the Central District of California
United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
Education
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA
Visiting Student, Spring Semester 1985
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University
Cleveland, Ohio
J.D. June 1985
Honors: Top 11% first year, Dean’s List
American Jurisprudence award in Torts
Senator, Student Bar Association
Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
B.S. Criminal Justice, 1980
Honors: Dean’s List, Mid-American Conference Honor Roll,
Letters in Football
Presentations
“Assessing Your HR Policies and Practices in Ohio: Compliance with State and Federal Employment Laws” Lorman Educational Services, Akron, Ohio February 23, 2006
“Ohio Society of CPA’s 18th Annual Not-for-Profit Accounting and Financial Seminar: Department of Labor Rules and Regulations” Ernst & Young Education Center, November 10, 2005
“Employee Termination 2004: An Employer’s Threat Matrix” American Council of Engineering Companies of Ohio, Fall 2004