Tom Stout

Tom Stout has more than 15 years of trial experience, including as a federal prosecutor and as a litigator at a California firm he co-founded before joining DWT. Tom's expertise in white-collar defense, government investigations, and complex litigation delivers top-tier results for businesses, executives, and entrepreneurs in key sectors across the Bay Area and beyond.

Tom is a respected West Coast litigator, having particular insight into state and federal enforcement priorities—both civil and criminal—in Northern California. As an assistant U.S. attorney in California, Tom pursued corporate executives, public officials, law enforcement agents, and other prominent figures, prosecuting cases involving fraud, bribery, corruption, civil rights violations, and obstruction of justice. He has extensive white-collar and internal investigations experience, adding to the firm's already deep bench of commercial litigation capabilities.

As co-founder of a small firm, Tom is well connected within California's business community. His relationships span key industries in the state, including banking, tech, legal, manufacturing, agriculture, environmental services, and wildfire management. Model clients include semiconductor manufacturing companies and executives, private equity and venture capital firms, an international packaging manufacturing company, a consumer products testing company, healthcare nonprofits, energy companies and executives, and executives of a global food and beverage company, which he has defended against product liability claims. Tom's experience extends to numerous other areas, such as trade secret litigation, campaign finance, securities, False Claims Act investigations, healthcare fraud, tax fraud, wire fraud, and disputes arising from IPOs and acquisitions. He has negotiated plea agreements that spared clients prison time and has persuaded prosecutors not to pursue charges against his clients in the first place.

Tom has faced off against the U.S. Department of Justice, the California Attorney General's Office, the SEC, and other federal and state enforcement agencies, and he has successfully argued cases in the 9th Circuit and other federal courts. While with DOJ, Tom was selected to teach trial advocacy to new federal prosecutors nationwide. He has been recognized by various federal law enforcement agencies, including with the Department of Justice's EOUSA Director's Award for Superior Performance. Tom also champions pro bono service, having represented elderly clients, religious organizations, patient advocacy organizations, and indigent criminal defendants and inmates.