Thomas Johnston

Thomas J. Johnston specializes in representing clients in personal injury trials, with a particular focus on catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. He provides legal services to clients across the United States.

Throughout his career, Johnston has achieved numerous significant verdicts and settlements for his clients. Notably, he has secured four verdicts and three settlements against transportation companies, totaling more than $55 million. In 2016, he achieved a groundbreaking $22.4 million jury verdict against the City of Los Angeles in a wrongful death case, marking the largest verdict of its kind in the United States. In 2017, Johnston obtained a $5 million verdict in a wrongful death matter against a property owner who failed to warn of a dangerous condition on a roadway. In 2015, he successfully obtained a $9.5 million recovery for a pedestrian injured by a Los Angeles County bus operator. Additionally, Johnston served as co-lead counsel in a significant case that reached the California Courts of Appeal in 2014, resulting in a landmark decision that clarified the responsibilities of landowners with regard to dangerous conditions on their property.

Recognized for his exceptional legal skills, Johnston has received numerous accolades. Super Lawyers Magazine named him one of the Top 100 lawyers in Southern California in 2017. In 2012, the Los Angeles Daily Journal included Johnston on its list of the top 20 lawyers in California under the age of 40. He is also featured in the 21st edition of “The Best Lawyers in America.” Furthermore, Johnston was a finalist for the Consumer Attorneys of California’s Street Fighter of the Year award in 2011 and a semifinalist for the CAALA Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2016.

In addition to his legal achievements, Johnston is an active member of the legal community. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, an esteemed invitation-only organization. Johnston frequently speaks on litigation-related topics for professional organizations and educational institutions. Furthermore, he serves as a staff instructor at the prestigious Trial Lawyers College.

Before pursuing a legal career, Johnston served as an intelligence officer for the US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 3 (BN) during the Surge Campaign of 2007 and 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq.