Thomas Pavlinic

Thomas Pavlinic was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland in 1969 and earned his law degree from George Washington Law School in 1973. Admitted to the Maryland Bar on December 27, 1973, Thomas has maintained an exemplary record, free from any complaints or disciplinary actions.

After law school, Thomas clerked for the Hon. E. Mackall Childs in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He then served as a staff attorney with the Office of the Public Defender for two years before entering private practice in 1975.

Since the mid-1990s, Thomas has dedicated his practice exclusively to defending child sex abuse cases. Over the past two decades, he has represented hundreds of clients across the United States. His pro hac vice admissions have allowed him to serve as defense counsel in states including Massachusetts, Florida, West Virginia, Virginia, Utah, Kansas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, the District of Columbia, and Georgia.

Thomas has also acted as Amicus Curiae counsel for the False Memory Syndrome Foundation, submitting briefs to the Supreme Courts of several states and the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. His appellate work includes securing a reversal of a child sexual abuse conviction at the Kansas Supreme Court in the case of State v. Plaskett, 27 P.3d 890 (Kan. 2001), and achieving a favorable ruling before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Com. v. Delbridge, 885 A.2d 27 (Pa.2003).

Thomas has a particular interest in cases involving very young complainants, where he addresses issues of psychological suggestion and "taint" caused by improper interviewing techniques.