Thom Cope’s passion for law was sparked at the age of 13 by the television series
Perry Mason. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Nebraska after
completing his undergraduate studies at Syracuse University.

Born in Bremen, Germany, Thom and his family immigrated to Canada when he was 3
before moving to the U.S., where he became a citizen in 1966.

Thom’s legal journey began in Nebraska, where he clerked for the Workers’
Compensation Court before being hired as in-house counsel by Fireman’s Fund
Insurance in San Francisco. There, he was appointed as their employment attorney,
launching his long-standing career in employment law. Thom has practiced law across
multiple states, including Nebraska, California, New York, and Arizona.

A distinguished lawyer with more than five decades of experience in employment law,
Thom is a partner at Mesch Clark Rothschild, where he continues to provide expert
legal counsel. He has tried more than 80 jury trials to verdict! For Thom, however, the
most important part of his work is human relations.

His contributions to employment law have earned him several accolades, including
being named a College of Labor and Employment Lawyers Fellow and receiving the
State Bar of Arizona’s Outstanding Achievement Award in Labor and Employment Law.
Thom is deeply committed to volunteerism, generously offering his legal expertise
to our Volunteer Lawyers Program and other organizations. Outside the courtroom,

Thom is an avid golfer, a reader of murder mysteries — calling them a great escape —
and a firm believer in the power of a positive mental attitude. His proudest personal
accomplishment is his 44-year marriage to his wife, Melba — after knowing her just
three months — who, by the way, has her own bobblehead along with the rest of the
family!