Thomas was admitted to practice as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria and signed the roll of the High Court of Australia on 1 April 1979. He was admitted to practice in Northern Territory in 1987.
Employed by Maddens Lawyers (formerly D. Madden & Co), Solicitors of Warrnambool, Victoria from March 1978 to December 1980, initially as an articled clerk and, after admission, as a solicitor.
He is a member of the Victorian Bar since 1 March 1981 and have since practised continuously as a barrister, save for the period from November 1986 to August 1989. During this period, leave of absence was obtained from the Bar in order to undertake employment with the Central Land Council (CLC) in Alice Springs as a legal officer.
He was appointed senior counsel in 2015.
Prior to employment with the CLC, Thomas practised in Victoria in the Magistrates Court and, to some extent, the County Court doing a range of different civil work and some criminal work.
During employment with the CLC, Thomas worked on land claims and associated litigation, as well as giving advice on a range of matters to the Executive and staff of the organisation.
Upon returning to the Bar after employment with the CLC, he practised for many years in the area of personal injury law, including workers’ compensation (both State and Commonwealth), veterans’ entitlements and common law cases. Over time, an increasing proportion of the practice involved native title and land claim work. For the last decade or more, practice has overwhelmingly involved native title and related matters.
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation.
