Mark N. Thomas began his time at Kegel, Tobin & Truce in 2007. For the last five years, he has served as a partner shareholder at KT&T. During his time with KT&T, Mr. Thomas has proven himself to be an experienced and competent workers’ compensation defense attorney. At KT&T, Mr. Thomas litigates WC defense cases before the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. He has worked on behalf of clients such as self-insured employers and insurance carriers. Mr. Thomas has shown his talent by litigating take nothings to trial on cases in chief and by obtaining sanctions and costs from lien claimants.
Mr. Thomas’ work at KT&T is not limited to WC cases. He also provides account management for the Los Angeles Unified School District. His work with the LAUSD includes bulk settlement and consolidated lien negotiations. Besides, he creates an internal settlement strategy review of over 100 cases every six months. He has also given general guidance to Sedgwick to help reduce utilization review litigation. Mr. Thomas works hard to evaluate and negotiate the resolution of claims. Through his efforts, the settlement rate of claims at KT&T remains high.
Mr. Thomas is also experienced in litigating cases of fraud. He develops strategies that address fraud investigations with Sedgwick’s claims management services and a special investigation unit. He uses discovery methods to investigate WC insurance fraud cases. Cases that Mr. Thomas has tried have resulted in recovery for the client. They have also included criminal trials when necessary.
Mr. Thomas has served as a lecturer to third-party administrators and to self-insured organizations on a wide range of topics. These include claims handling, managing defense litigation strategies, the synergistic effect and defense strategy, and defending WC subrogation claims.
Mr. Thomas arrived at KT&T with 10 years of labor experience. Before his arrival, he served as a civilian officer representing the U.S. Navy in employment matters. These matters included unemployment and employment termination hearings in front of the Merit Systems Protection Board. During Mr. Thomas’ time working with the Navy, he also took on cases of union grievances, unfair labor practices, and labor negotiations. The next step in Mr. Thomas’ career came when he joined the National Labor Relations Board as an intern. At the NLRB, he grew his understanding of employment and labor law. These experiences provided Mr. Thomas with an exclusive view of the difficulties faced by employers. He is well-versed in the challenges of classifying employees and in recruiting and handling union and labor grievances. Mr. Thomas leverages his knowledge of how those challenges present themselves within the WC system to excel in his field.
