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Bruce Tomaso

Bruce Tomaso spent more than 30 years as a writer and editor at The Dallas Morning News. When asked what positions he held there, he usually says it’s easier to list those he didn’t.

As enterprise editor on The News’s breaking news desk in the summer of 2016, he played a key role in covering the downtown shooting spree that left five police officers dead. For its coverage, The News was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Reporting.

He spent most of 1997 in Denver covering the federal criminal trials of Oklahoma City bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Four years later, he covered McVeigh’s execution.

His first major reporting assignment for The Texas Lawbook was a retrospective on the 20th anniversary of the $119.6 million verdict for 10 young men who’d been molested as children by Rudy Kos, a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. The stories earned Bruce and his Lawbook editor, Allen Pusey, the Dallas Bar Association’s 2018 Stephen Philbin Award for Feature Writing.

In 2019, he covered the seven-week medical fraud trial of nine physicians, healthcare executives and others associated with Forest Park Medical Center, a now-defunct Dallas surgical hospital.

He’s a member of the Alumni Hall of Fame at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He and his wife, Dallas attorney Patricia A. Nolan, have one grown son, who is smarter than either of them.

He will drop everything, including preposterous sums of money, to see Lady Gaga, Notre Dame football, or the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team.

You can reach Bruce at bruce.tomaso@texaslawbook.net.

Irving-Based Mining Co. Can’t Recover $48M Mexican Judgment

The ruling is the latest — but surely not the last — in an 11-year litigation war over the operation of a gold mine in Sinaloa, Mexico.

May 9, 2023 Bruce Tomaso

Dallas Jury Awards $860M in Wrongful Death Case Involving Crane Collapse

A Dallas County jury on Wednesday awarded more than $860 million to the parents of a woman killed in 2019 when a 200-foot steel crane toppled onto her apartment building from an adjacent construction site. The verdict exceeded the $700 million sought by plaintiff’s lawyers from Arnold & Itkin.

April 26, 2023 Bruce Tomaso

Texas Orders Cayman Islands Crypto Firm to Pay $424,000 and Cease Doing Business

The consent order is part of a nationwide investigation in which Nexo Capital Inc. agreed to pay $22.5 million in fines related to the sale of unregistered securities.

April 17, 2023 Bruce Tomaso

Multimillion-Dollar Trial Underway in Fatal 2019 Dallas Crane Collapse

In opening statements, defense lawyers for two huge construction-related companies blamed one another for the accident, which killed a 29-year-old woman in her apartment and injured others.

April 13, 2023 Bruce Tomaso

‘So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance!’

At a Texas Lawbook-SMU Forum, white-collar defense lawyers David Gerger and Tom Melsheimer reveal how they overcame big problems to win big cases.

March 24, 2023 Bruce Tomaso

Veteran Dallas Prosecutor Tapped as EDTX U.S. Attorney

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, as expected, Damien Diggs would be the first Black U.S. attorney in the 166-year-old Eastern District.

February 2, 2023 Bruce Tomaso

Royal Furgeson, DBA’s 2023 MLK Justice Award Recipient: ‘As Lawyers, Equal Justice Is Central to Our Very Being’

On Monday, Royal Furgeson, retired federal judge and founding dean of the UNT Dallas College of Law, received the Dallas Bar Association's 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Justice Award. In his acceptance speech, Judge Furgeson talked about the special duty of lawyers to carry on King's work. Read the full text exclusively here.

January 17, 2023 Bruce Tomaso

‘Medical Emergency’ Forces Mistrial in Oft-Delayed $158M Pharmacy Fraud Case

After eight aborted settings since 2017, the trial on bribery and kickback charges was under way in Dallas when a defense lawyer needed surgery. Rather than resuming after a monthlong delay — and making jurors work through the holidays — U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay rescheduled the trial for next September.

December 29, 2022 Bruce Tomaso

Dallas Jury Rules for Defendants in Wrongful Death Suit by Family of Electrocuted Worker

On their second day of deliberation, jurors in the court of state District Judge Monica McCoy Purdy awarded damages of $3.94 million to the family of electrician Gabriel Vela, who was killed in 2019 while working at a West Texas midstream energy plant. However, because the jury found Vela 51 percent responsible for his death, the defendants will not be liable. Bruce Tomaso reports.

November 15, 2022 Bruce Tomaso

Wrongful Death Suit Over Worker’s Electrocution is a Grab for a ‘Champagne and Caviar Lifestyle,’ Defense Lawyer Says

In closing arguments, attorneys for a West Texas midstream gas facility say electrician Gabriel Vela died because of his own negligence. A plaintiff’s attorney counters that the gas plant’s conduct was ‘the grossest of gross negligence’ he’s seen in 34 years of practice.

November 14, 2022 Bruce Tomaso

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Features

  • P.S. — October is Pro Bono Month for this Houston Organization, Plus Dallas Hispanic Bar Association Celebrates 20th, and Lambda Legal Honors Trailblazing Judge  - October brings a flurry of pro bono and legal community celebrations across Texas. Houston Volunteer Lawyers is marking the entire month as Pro Bono Month, spotlighting volunteers and hosting CLE opportunities. The Dallas Hispanic Bar Association celebrated its 20th Anniversary Noche de Luz Gala during Hispanic Heritage Month, honoring civil rights pioneer Sylvia Mendez as keynote speaker and presenting awards to leaders in the legal community. Looking ahead, Lambda Legal will host its Landmark Dinner on Oct. 11 in Dallas, where it will present Judge Tonya Parker with the Liberty Award for her civil rights work and feature speakers including decorated Navy pilot Commander Emily “Hawking” Shilling and Texas lawmakers Jessica González and Nathan Johnson. October 3, 2025Krista Torralva
  • My Five Favorite Books: Barry Pound (Director of Public Relations, Androvett Legal Media & Marketing) - It’s really disappointing to realize the number of people who read for pleasure is continuing to decline – one recent study found by as much as 40% in the past 20 years – and despite research showing the positive effects of discretionary reading on our mental health, social capabilities and overall well-being. Those results may vary, but I still read 100 or more books annually and have for most of my adult life. In developing this list, which was much harder than I anticipated, I was struck by the fact that all are novels that were published more than 40 years ago -- while I generally read current mysteries, thrillers and non-fiction. Perhaps that only means that in my case a “favorite” made an impression as a young adult or even a child, and has stood that test of time. October 1, 2025Barry Pound

GCs, Lawyers & Firms

  • Norton Rose Hires Veteran Finance Partner from Winston & Strawn - Norton Rose Fulbright announced on Thursday that it has expanded its business practice group by hiring veteran Dallas corporate finance partner Chip Gage. With more than 30 years of experience representing private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, he joins Norton Rose after spending nearly nine years at Winston & Strawn.
  • Invitation Homes Selects Former SEC Associate Director as VP of Litigation and Investigations
  • Houston Trial Firm Boosts Associate Salaries
  • SALSA Names New Executive Director
  • New GE Vernova GC of Wind Energy Dionne Hamilton: ‘We’re Working to Make the World a Better Place’
  • Ross & Smith Announces Partnership with Full-Service Maryland Firm
  • Martin Sosland, Candice Carson Join Vartabedian Hester
  • Banks Brings Decades of Experience to Husch Blackwell’s New Biz Dev Leadership Role
  • Former Energy GC Brock Degeyter Joins Troutman Pepper Locke in Dallas
  • Houston Law Firm Adds Former Texas Supreme Court Justice to Name 
More GCs, Lawyers & Firms

Lawyers in the News

Hover right to see full list

Chip Babcock
Chris Bankler
Jamie B. Beaber
David J. Beck
Bill Benitez
Jessica Berkowitz
Brent Bernell
Tyler Bexley
Shawn Blackburn
Michael Blankenship
Jeffrey Brill
Anita Brown
Ian Brown
Stuart Campbell
Jack Chadderdon
Paul Clement
Erin Nealy Cox
Scott Craig
Kevin Crews
Shamus Crosby
Hannah M. Crowe
Geoffrey Culbertson
Sean Cunningham
John Daywalt
Rajiv Dharnidharka
James Ducayet
Brian K. Erickson
Scott Everett
Weiru Fang
Elizabeth Freeman
Tad Freese
Melanie Fry
Geoff Gannaway
Paul Genender
John J. Gilluly III
Rodney Gilstrap
Andrew Gorham
John Greer
Joseph Grinstein
Matthew Haddad
Colleen Haile
Breen Haire
Shahmeer Halepota
Dionne Hamilton
Troy Harder
Rusty Hardin
Michael Hawes
Nathan Hecht
Stephen Hessler
Hillary Holmes
Marc Jaffe
Lauren Jenkins
David Jones
Atma Kabad
Susan Kennedy
David Kinder
Justin King
Allan Kirk
Melanie Koltermann
Doug Kubehl
Joe Laurel
Sang Lee
Steven Lockhart
Arthur Lotz
Barbara Lynn
Mike Lynn
Nora McGuffey
Stephanie McPhail
Mark Melton
Jeri Leigh Miller
Kimberly A. Moore
Mark Moore
Shelby Morgan
Alia Moses
Davis Mosmeyer III
Darren Nicholson
Eamon Nolan
Ivy Nowinski
Holland O’Neil
George Padis
Ian Peck
Jonathan Platt
Chase Proctor
Doug Rayburn
Joel Reese
Kevin Richardson
Andrew Rodheim
Seth Rubinson
Mazin Sbaiti
Ana Sanchez
Vincenzo Santini
Jeffrey Scharfstein
Robert Schroeder III
Scott Seidel
Steven Sexton
Ahmed Sidik
Robert Slovak
Emily Smith
Melissa R. Smith
Jonathon Soler
Robert Soza
Lande Spottswood
Craig Stanfield
Justin Stolte
Josh Teahen
Kelly Tidwell
Linda Tieh
Rafael B. de Toledo
Monica Uddin
Rhett Van Syoc
Rahul Vashi
Gabe Vazquez
Patrick Venter
Sarah Walden
Kandace Walter
Kyle Watson
Mikell Alan West
Noël Wise
Meng Xi

Firms in the News

Hover right to show full list

AZA
Baker Botts
The Bandas Law Firm
Beck Redden
Boies Schiller Flexner
Bracewell
Bradley Arant
Burns Charest
Clement & Murphy
Condon & Forsyth
DLA Piper
Dykema
Foley & Lardner
Gibson Dunn
Gillam & Smith
Haynes Boone
Holland & Knight
Jackson Walker
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Lynn Pinker
Mayer Brown
MoloLamken
Pamela Welch PLLC
Patton Tidwell Culbertson
Paul Hastings
Porter Hedges
The Probus Law Firm
Reese Marketos
Rusty Hardin & Associates
Sbaiti & Company
Sidley Austin
Simpson Thacher
Skadden
Squire Patton Boggs
Sullivan & Cromwell
Susman Godfrey
Troutman Pepper Locke
Vinson & Elkins
Weil
Willkie
Winston & Strawn

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