Tom Mars is an accomplished trial lawyer, a nationally recognized advocate in collegiate sports, and an experienced crisis consultant for companies, executives, and public officials.
After graduating first in his law school class and making the top score on the bar exam, Tom began his career as a law clerk to Judge Monroe McKay on the U.S. Court of Appeals. Following his clerkship, Tom spent the next ten years establishing himself as one of Arkansas’ most formidable trial lawyers. Tom’s accomplishments as a trial lawyer have included a number of seven-figure jury verdicts and eight-figure settlements and the successful defense of corporate defendants in complex litigation. His litigation experience includes business torts and contract disputes, class actions, RICO, defamation, civil rights, medical malpractice, FOIA, administrative law claims and the representation of clients in civil and criminal federal investigations.
In the 1990s, Tom’s high-profile clients included the Governor of Arkansas. In 1998, the Governor asked Tom (a former police officer) to join his leadership team as Director of the Arkansas State Police—the state’s highest-ranking law enforcement position. He served in that capacity for nearly three years before returning to private practice as a trial lawyer in Northwest Arkansas.
Not long after returning to private practice, Tom was recruited by Walmart to manage its vast litigation portfolio as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel. Four months after joining Walmart’s legal department, he was promoted to Senior Vice President and General Counsel and became responsible for all of the company’s legal matters. During his tenure as Walmart’s General Counsel, Tom led an ambitious diversity initiative and became a nationally known champion for advancing diversity in the legal profession. He received numerous awards for his leadership in this area, including the American Bar Association’s prestigious “Spirit of Excellence Award.”
Five years after joining Walmart, in recognition of Walmart’s legal department receiving national acclaim for both its unprecedented diversity and extraordinary talent, Tom was promoted to Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Two years later, he was promoted again and joined the leadership team of Walmart U.S. as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. In that role, he was responsible for various business units, including real estate, human resources, labor relations, external relations, U.S. compliance, and financial services.
In recent years, Tom has represented a number of high-profile student-athletes in matters involving the NCAA’s transfer rules. Based on his success in securing eligibility waivers for his student-athlete clients, sports writers have referred to Tom as the “the most impactful man in a suit in college football” and “the de facto commissioner of the new [college football] culture.”
In describing Tom’s ability to win difficult cases in high-stakes litigation, members of the media and former clients have described Tom as “fearless,” “relentless,” and a “fierce litigator” who’s “committed to winning.” Commenting on Tom’s track record as a trial lawyer, one journalist recently said that “Mars is to lawyering what Tom Brady is to quarterbacking.”
The breadth and depth of Tom’s experience make him uniquely qualified to represent individual and corporate clients in litigation, administrative proceedings, and enforcement actions by government agencies. His prior experience also makes him well-suited to work with clients and their PR professionals facing situations that could result in lasting business and reputational damage.
