Thomas E. Simmons is a partner with the Rapid City law firm of Gunderson, Palmer, Nelson & Ashmore, LLP where he is a member of the firm's Business and Estate Planning group. Tom's areas of practice include estate planning, elder law, asset protection, real property, and probate. He received his Juris Doctor Degree from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 1998 and is licensed to practice law in South Dakota, Wyoming and Nebraska.
As a member of the State Bar of South Dakota, Tom serves on its Real Property Probate and Trust Section's Executive Board. He serves on the Asset Protection Planning and Long-Term Health Care Committees and the Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law of the American Bar Association.
Tom is also an active member of the West River Estate Planning Council and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He is the founder and President of Pooled Advocate Trust, Inc. which manages South Dakota's first pooled asset protection trust for individuals with disabilities. His civic involvements include serving as a member of the board of directors of United Way of the Black Hills and the Friends of the Rapid City Public Library.
Tom's passion for writing and education is evident through his publication of wide ranging articles in national legal periodicals and his frequent public speaking engagements on estate planning, and asset protection issues. Prior to joining Gunderson, Palmer, Nelson & Ashmore, LLP, he was a federal law clerk, a fourth grade teacher, and a college instructor of constitutional law. He has lived in Rapid City, South Dakota since 1975.
