Steven Thomas, 61, passed away on October 18, 2021. An innovative lawyer and accomplished writer and photographer, Steve was passionate about his family and friends, his work and his life.
Steve set a great example for those who had the pleasure of working with him. At McGuire, Craddock & Strother, he was known as a mentor to young lawyers and a practitioner who made it a point to know and understand his clients’ business. Steve had a deep appreciation for the practice of law and the impact of technology on the way lawyers and law firms do their work.
A veteran commercial litigator and strategic business adviser, Steve represented a diverse range of companies before state and federal courts, commercial and securities arbitration panels, and state and federal regulatory agencies. His clients included national telecommunications and VoIP providers, national and regional financial institutions, software developers, securities firms, healthcare providers, real estate developers, construction companies, manufacturers, and professional service firms.
McGuire, Craddock & Strother has lost a great friend and colleague. Celebration of life services are pending.
- Lead counsel for national equipment financing company in dispute over sixty aesthetic medical lasers worth more than $3 million.
- Litigation counsel for Administrative Agent to lenders in dispute over more than $100 million of financing for multiple hospitals.
- Counsel to multiple Local Exchange Carriers in Multi-District telecommunications dispute opposing Verizon and Sprint on issue of interexchange carrier liability for access charges on wireless-originated calls.
- Lead national counsel for embattled Halo Wireless, Inc.; during a two-year period, managed more than 48 attorneys in 23 law firms after Halo was sued 51 times in 17 states in less than 12 months by more than 100 telephone companies, including AT&T entities, TDS telecom entities, and a host of rural incumbent local exchange carriers.
- Lead counsel and strategic business advisor to a group of national IP-based communications companies over a 10-year period in various state and federal lawsuits, state commission actions, commercial arbitrations, bankruptcy-related litigation, and state and federal appeals, including at various times disputes with AT&T and SBC companies, Verizon, Qwest and CenturyLink, TDS Telecom, Paetec and Windstream, Global Crossing, Broadwing, various state commissions, and the FCC.
- Lead counsel for national general contractor in disputes with multiple subcontractors relating to four multi-family projects in Texas and Oklahoma.
- Lead counsel for multi-national telecom network operator in dispute with former executives.
- Lead counsel for national cinema development company in multiple real property disputes.
- Lead counsel for national lessors of railcars in multi-million-dollar dispute with Texas-based repair and inspection vendor.
- Lead counsel for national construction contractor in dispute with subcontractor over work related to the Hurricane Sandy relief effort in the Eastern District of New York.
- Co-lead counsel for the nation’s second-largest securities clearing firm in multiple FINRA arbitrations.
- Lead counsel for French law firm in dispute with American investors over real property transaction.
- Lead counsel for publisher of Hispanic periodicals in commercial defamation suit against rival publishers.
- Lead counsel for commercial feed lot operator in suit brought by cattle owner/investor.
- Lead counsel for Hong Kong manufacturer in suit on international distribution contract.
- Co-lead counsel for Chinese airline in fraud suit against lessor of Boeing 747.
- University of Texas School of Law, 1989.
- Research Editor of the Texas International Law Journal
- Texas A&M University, B.S. Journalism), 1984.
- Battalion (daily) writer and columnist
- Campus Champion, 1983-84, Ed Bloese Memorial 8-Ball Tournament
Admitted to Practice: New York 1990; Texas 1991. Also admitted to practice before the U.S. Districts Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, the Southern District of New York, and the Second, Fifth, Ninth and Tenth U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal.
- American Bar Association (Sections of Business Law and Litigation Law), Member.
- State Bar of Texas (Sections of Antitrust and Business Litigation, Corporate Counsel and Litigation), Member.
- Dallas Bar Association (Sections of Business Litigation Law, Corporate Counsel Law, and Labor and Employment Law), Member.
- Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit, Member.
- New York State Bar Association, Member.
- The Sedona Conference® Working Group, Member.
- Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, 2021 – 2022
- Rated AV Preeminent by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell
- Legal Leaders/Top Rated Lawyers, ALM and Martindale-Hubbell
- “Beware: Cybervillains Lurk on LinkedIn,” Texas Lawyer, February 2017, p. 52.
- “Think Before You Click! Cybersecurity Awareness for Lawyers and Law Firms.” Bankruptcy & Commercial Litigation Section of the Dallas Bar Association, April 5, 2017
- “Legal Tech Skills Are No Longer Optional,” Texas Lawyer, January 2017, p. 44.
- “Privacy No Match For Robots of the Future,” Texas Lawyer, September 2016, p. 64.
- “Commercial Accounts Targeted by New Breed of Bank Robber,” Texas Lawyer, June 7, 2016
- “Amending History: Is There a Right to be Forgotten?” Texas Lawyer, March 21, 2016, p. 22.
- “Social Media Benefits for Lawyers,” Texas Lawyer, November 30, 2015, p. 23.
- “When Technology Helps Waive Privilege,” Texas Lawyer, June 29, 2015, p. 39.
- “Ethical Communication in the Digital Age: The Benefits and Risks of Social Media,” Bankruptcy & Commercial Litigation Section of the Dallas Bar Association, May 6, 2015 (Co-speaker with Dan Lear of Avvo)
- “For Vloggers, Old Marketing Rules Still Apply,” Texas Lawyer, March 2, 2015, p. 27.
- “New Payment Form Shifts Fraud Liability,” Texas Lawyer, December 19, 2014, p.22.
- “Befuddled by Bitcoin: Regulating Virtual Currency,” Texas Lawyer, August 25, 2014, p. 34.
- “Sci-Fi Rapidly Becoming Reality: Discovery From Cars, Retailers, and the Deep Web,” Texas Lawyer, June 2, 2014, p. 26.
- “Absurdity in Outdated Technology Legislation,” The National Law Journal, May 26, 2014, p. 38.
- “Email Surveillance and Privacy,” Texas Lawyer, March 17, 2014, p. 27.
- “LinkedIn and the Lawyer Advertising Rules: What are ‘Advertisements’ and ‘Solicitations’ in the Context of Your Online Profile?” The Dicta (Monthly Publication of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers), Vol. 30, No. 10, p.5.


