Lent, Thomas M.

Thomas M. Lent is a shareholder in the Erie, Pennsylvania, office of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin. His areas of practice are medical malpractice (physician and other providers), nursing home/long-term health care provider defense, physician disciplinary action defense, health care provider contract disputes (restrictive covenant, employment issues), general liability defense (premises, contract), employment law (unemployment, wage claims defense, Title VII, ADEA, FMLA), product liability defense, and insurance/declaratory judgment defense.

Thom has handled several hundred medical malpractice and physician cases to date, representing a considerable number of physicians and medical professionals in northwestern Pennsylvania. Additionally, he has provided employment defense and counsel to physicians and other employers.

So far, he has taken 25 cases to trial, 24 of which were tried to a jury. He received 22 defense verdicts, while two of his cases ended in a verdict or settlement significantly below the settlement demands.

He unsuccessfully argued Sagala v. Tavares, an informed consent case. Despite his result, the position he argued was ultimately made part of the MCARE Act in Pennsylvania.

Thom was requested by a client to prepare six hours for a physician CME on Risk Management and HIV. Following this program, he was asked to teach the Medical Jurisprudence course at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. This required the preparation of 24 class hours of material. He presented the course for approximately eight years before the course became internet-based. He became familiar with all of the state and federal statutes affecting the practice of medicine. He was invited to speak to several LECOM graduating classes and lecture on licensure and risk management issues.

Additionally, he has provided CME lecture services to local physicians' groups on various issues. He has also served as a panel member on various PBI seminars, mainly addressing litigation issues.

Thom began his legal career with the Erie firm Marsh, Spaeder, Baur, Spaeder & Schaaf, becoming a full partner in 1990. He handled primarily medical and legal malpractice cases, as well as matters in all areas of employment law. Additionally, he handled defamation defense cases for various local television and print media defendants.

Thom is on the Board of Northwest Legal Services and has been so for 20 years. He has been re-elected to another 10-year term after waiver of the two-term limit.

In addition to practicing law, Thom continues to play competitive ice hockey and for a time organized a charity game between a team of lawyers and one of law enforcement officers, appropriately called the "Law and Order Cup."

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