Mr. Thomas counsels a variety of clients including airlines, equipment manufacturers, borrowers, lenders, lessors, lessees and other debt and equity investors engaged in debt, equity and lease financing transactions.  He focuses his practice on the aviation and rail industries and has represented clients in U.S. and cross-border sale, lease and financing transactions, including aircraft and rolling stock portfolio acquisitions, sale-leaseback transactions, operating leases, leveraged leases, export credit agency financings, mortgage financings, pooled collateral/warehouse loan facilities, asset-backed securitizations and enhanced equipment trust certificate transactions as well as aircraft and railcar investment fund formations and joint ventures.

Mr. Thomas was recommended in the Legal 500 United States Transport: Aviation and Air Travel—Finance from 2019 to 2022. He has also been recommended and recognized as a Next Generation Partner in the Legal 500 Unites States Transport: Rail and Road – finance category from 2020 to 2023. In 2017 and 2018, Mr. Thomas was selected for inclusion in Euromoney’s Legal Media Group Aviation Expert Rising Star Guide and in 2019 and 2020, he was recognized among the world’s leading aviation attorneys. Mr. Thomas was also recognized by Leading Lawyers as an Emerging Lawyer in the category of Secured Transactions Law. In 2015, 2017 and 2018, Vedder Price was named Airline Economics “Aviation 100 Law Firm of the Year.” Mr. Thomas was also among those advising on the $1.2 billion asset backed securitization transaction selected as the 2015 North America Deal of the Year by Airfinance Journal. Prior to joining Vedder Price, Mr. Thomas, also a certified public accountant, served as a tax accountant in a public accounting firm concentrating on corporate, partnership and international taxation matters.