Thomas M. Downey

Thomas M. Downey is a partner at Burnham Brown in Oakland, California, and a trial attorney with a broad litigation practice. He handles product liability, professional liability, construction, transportation, insurance, and environmental matters. His clients include manufacturers, contractors, product suppliers, transportation businesses, insurers, and other commercial entities. He represents clients in state and federal courts when disputes concern liability, commercial relationships, property damage, or complex insurance issues.

Downey earned his J.D. from the University of Toledo in 1989 and a B.A. from Ohio State University in 1986. He is admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, and Central Districts of California. His formal legal education and federal court admissions support a litigation practice that spans numerous industries and involves both trial work and litigation management.

Downey has represented businesses in lawsuits involving product defects, contamination, personal injury, property damage, and alleged unfair trade practices. He has also handled insurance coverage and bad faith disputes, transportation claims, and professional liability cases against brokers and other service providers. His environmental work includes regulatory proceedings, asbestos litigation, natural resource damage, and Proposition 65 matters. He advises risk managers and corporate counsel on investigations and dispute resolution.

Thomas M. Downey participates in professional organizations connected to litigation, insurance, risk management, and the legal profession. His writing includes work on reinsurance arbitration, depositions in insurance litigation, and practical guidelines for working with experts. His practice combines trial preparation with attention to the business and regulatory context of disputes. This approach supports clients addressing potentially significant financial exposure, complicated factual records, and claims across several areas of civil law.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Burnham Brown
• Member, The State Bar of California
• Member, American Bar Association, Tort and Insurance Practice Section, Litigation Section, Self-Insurers and Risk Managers Committee, Litigation Section
• Member, Alameda County Bar Association
• Member, Contra Costa County Bar Association
• Member, Bar Association of San Francisco
• Member, Defense Research Institute
• Member, Risk and Insurance Management Society
• Member, Professional Liability Underwriters Society
• Member, The Harmonie Group

Licensed State

• California

Education

• University of Toledo
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Ohio State University
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges