Partner

Tom Ryder

Tom Ryder, a partner with the firm since 2018, is an experienced corporate and estates attorney. Having spent approximately half of his nearly thirty-five-year legal career in private practice at some of Fort Worth’s most respected law firms and the other half as in-house counsel for Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Mr. Ryder has encountered just about every area of corporate law one can encounter. Mr. Ryder also maintains his license as a Certified Public Accountant, which enables him to approach legal matters from the business and personal perspectives of his clients.

In addition to Mr. Ryder’s broad corporate practice, he also dedicates a large amount of his time to advising individuals, trusts, and other entities on estate plans and business succession plans. And as part of his estate planning practice, Mr. Ryder also oversees the firm’s probate and guardianship practices.

Mr. Ryder’s experience as both a corporate executive and lead corporate attorney on some of the most complex and sophisticated legal matters leaves him uniquely situated to serve as a strategic partner and corporate advisor to the firm’s clients during their most challenging dealings.

Mr. Ryder is also active in the local business community, serving in leadership positions within several of Fort Worth’s professional organizations.

Outside of the office, Mr. Ryder plays golf, tennis, and pickleball, and enjoys spending time with his three daughters.

How Mr. Ryder can help

Areas of Expertise

Ready to work with Mr. Ryder?

Mr. Ryder’s practice areas include Business Law, Estate Planning & Probate, Mergers and Acquisitions, and General Counsel Services.
Business Law
Estate Planning & Probate
General Counsel Services
Mergers and Acquisitions

Honors & Awards

AV Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell since 2005
Top Attorney, Fort Worth, Texas Magazine
Top Attorney, 360 West Magazine

Education

Baylor University School of Law, J.D.
Oklahoma Baptist University, B.A.
Harvard Advanced Management Program

Community

Mr. Ryder has held membership and leadership positions in several professional and charitable organizations, including:

Fellow - Tarrant County Bar Foundation
Tarrant County Corporate Counsel Section President
Tarrant County Mental Health Attorney Ad Litem

Admissions

Mr. Ryder is admitted to practice in all Texas state courts.

Prior Work

Mr. Ryder began his legal practice in the corporate section of Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff and Miller in Fort Worth, where he handled a variety of legal matters, including representation of pharmaceutical companies and health care systems, as well as representation of individuals in estate planning and probate/guardianship matters.

Mr. Ryder next worked at Alcon Laboratories, Inc., a global health care company with annual revenues of over $10 billion, where he served as Vice President, Head of the Corporate Legal Department, managing complex business transactions, mergers and acquisitions, antitrust, sales and marketing, HR/employment, facilities, data privacy, compliance, and government investigations. He also managed the corporate legal department's attorneys, paralegals and administrative assistants. Mr. Ryder also oversaw multimillion-dollar operational and outside counsel budgets.

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