About Thomas B.
Thomas B. Walsh entered law school after completing an undergraduate degree in finance. He earned a B.S. in Finance from the University of South Carolina in 1985 and a Juris Doctor from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School in 1988. Those years set the groundwork for a practice that has spanned trial courts, federal appeals, and the nation’s highest bench.
His admission history maps a steady progression through state and federal admissions. Walsh was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1992 and to the Virginia bar in 1993. He gained admission to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in 1996 and to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 1999. In 2002 he received admission to the Maryland bar and to the United States Supreme Court. Over the years he has maintained active memberships in the Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland bar associations, as well as in the Fairfax Bar Association.
Walsh’s community of peers has also called on him for responsibilities beyond casework. From 2005 to 2009 he served on the Fairfax County Bar Association Lawyer Referral and Information Service board, including roles on a peer review panel and the selections committee. He has presented at professional gatherings, appearing as a featured speaker at the Virginia Bar Association’s Capital Defense Seminar in both 2004 and 2008. In 2009 he was a distinguished invitee to a National Judicial College workshop on best practices in death penalty cases, a program designed for judges and lawyers confronting capital litigation issues.
The pattern of admissions and speaking engagements suggests significant appellate and capital experience. His credentials include courtroom practice at the district level and before the Fourth Circuit, along with the authorization to appear before the United States Supreme Court. That combination is often important in cases that move from trial courts to appellate review. It also fits the seminars and workshops in which he has taken part, centered on capital defense and death penalty procedures.
Walsh practices from an office associated with Petrovich & Walsh, P.L.C. He has remained active in local bar groups in Fairfax and in state bar organizations over the course of his career. Colleagues see him as a lawyer who bridges trial and appellate work, comfortable in both settings.
He currently practices at Petrovich & Walsh, P.L.C., where his work centers on appellate advocacy and criminal defense, including capital case matters.
