Thomas W. Willis
Associate
Louisville Office
9300 Shelbyville Road, Suite 400
Louisville, Kentucky 40222
Thomas W. Willis is an associate in the Louisville, Kentucky office of Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. Mr. Willis has over 14 years of experience focusing in the areas of complex commercial litigation, bankruptcy and creditors' rights matters, domestic and international collection, real estate, and business and corporate law including drafting contracts, operating agreements as well as partnership disputes and shareholder matters.
Prior to joining QPWB, and since 2015, Mr. Willis was founder of his law practice in Doral, Miami-Dade County, Florida and Louisville, Kentucky. Working closely with clients to define and achieve their litigation objectives and resolving high-stakes disputes across the commercial landscape through early motions, summary judgment, favorable settlement, trial, or arbitration. His experience spans a full range of business issues, including breach of contract, licensing, M&A, bankruptcy, and real estate matters. In addition, as general counsel, he has recently represented a biometric screening wellness company that operates nationwide with other companies to facilitate custom wellness solutions; here, he drafted M&A agreements to acquire retail locations, represented the company in arbitration with the American Arbitration Association, revising and editing franchise agreement templates, and reviewing external communication to supply chain partners.
Mr. Willis has recently represented a Boston-based, multi-state law firm as an Of Counsel attorney where his practice has focused on bankruptcy and creditors' rights litigation. His previous experience also includes representing a Brazilian tech company involving matters relating to electronic banking, debit cards and virtual payments.
Before commencing his law practice, Mr. Willis spent over a decade living and working in South America. His experiences in Latin America include managing countrywide operations in Colombia for a British software company, providing consulting and translation services for top-rated Chilean law firms, and launching a Canadian software franchise serving the hospitality industry. Upon returning to the United States, he worked as a sales manager for a Fortune 100 company in South Florida and managed a sales team covering a $100 million territory.
Mr. Willis received his Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, Florida in 1994 and Bachelor of Art in 1991 from Louisiana State University.
He is licensed to practice law in Kentucky and Florida and is admitted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Representative Experience
- Successfully prosecuted a claim against a former sales director of a large Venezuelan exporter of motorcycle parts for violations of restrictive covenants and misappropriation of trade secrets.
- Negotiated a settlement for an Argentine software company to recover embezzled funds and violations of non-compete clause from a former board member.
- Obtained a judgment for a Miami freight forwarding company against an Ecuadorian airline for breach of contract.
- Defended a fintech company in federal court against a lawsuit from a shareholder/investor claiming securities violations and fraud in the inducement. $5 million-action was dismissed.
- Successfully quieted title over a lien dispute on a $10 million commercial property on Biscayne Blvd. in Miami, Florida.
- Has extensive experience handling a variety of breach of contract disputes and commercial collections.
- Secured a denial of discharge in a federal bankruptcy adversary proceeding on behalf of one of the largest furniture retailers in Florida, against a fraudulent advertising executive for embezzlement.
- Representing a regional franchisor in several claims and counterclaims against franchisees in arbitration cases before the American Arbitration Association (AAA).
- In-house counsel for two corporations: (fintech/payment processing solutions & retail franchise). Negotiated and drafted commercial contracts, M&A agreements, managed outside litigation counsel, provided legal and strategic direction on HR and compliance issues.
Mr. Willis is completely fluent in Spanish and conversational in Portuguese and is highly comfortable dealing with international clients and foreign legal issues.