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Chivonne A.S. Thomas

Partner

St. Croix, U.S.V.I.

P | (305) 379-3686

F | (305) 379-3690

[email protected]

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Chivonne A.S. Thomas is a Partner in the firm’s U.S. Virgin Islands office based on the island of St. Croix. Ms. Thomas concentrates her practice on defending maritime, commercial liability, personal injury, premises liability, products liability, medical malpractice and labor and employment claims. She represents major hotels and resorts, Fortune 500 companies, insurers, cruise lines, and transportation companies in state and federal courts throughout Florida and the United States Virgin Islands.

Prior to joining Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel, LLP, Ms. Thomas served as Chief Legal Counsel for an Acute Care Hospital in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and prior to that she served as Director for the Medical Malpractice and Risk Unit of the Virgin Islands Department of Justice. Ms. Thomas has also served as the St, Croix-based attorney for the Office of the Governor – Office of Collective Bargaining for the Government of the Virgin Islands.

Ms. Thomas is a native of the U.S. Virgin Islands and in 2019 served as the youngest mandatory bar president in the United States as President of the Virgin Islands Bar Association. Ms. Thomas also served as the President of the non-profit Legal Services of the Virgin Islands from 2016 to 2018. She is also a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Ms. Thomas earned her J.D. from the University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law where she was active in several regional moot court and negotiations competitions. She was also a senior associate on the Richmond Journal of Global Law and Business and the Founder and President of the Multi-Cultural Law Students Association. Following law school, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Audrey L. Thomas at the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.

Practice Areas

Education

J.D., University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law, 2009

B.A., University of North Florida, 2006

  • Obtained order granting dismissal of six counts in wrongful termination case by a doctor claiming economic injuries related to his termination from a hospital after an incident. Gardiner v. St. Croix Dist. Governing Bd., Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center, Jeff Nelson, CEO, CFO, COO, and Dr. Coleridge Franklin, Jr., 2019 VI Super. 59U (V.I. Super Ct. July 30, 2019).
  • Secured reversal of arbitration award on appeal from the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands to the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands (highest court in the Virgin Islands) on procedural grounds in case where arbitrator ignored the untimely filing of the grievance by the Union. Government of the Virgin Islands, Department of Human Services v. United Industrial, Service, Transportation, Professional and Government Workers of North America – Seafarers International Union of North America, 64 V.I. 312 (V.I. 2016).
  • Obtained order granting dismissal on procedural grounds for failure to properly effect service of process. St. Croix Federation of Teachers, Local 1826 v. Government of the Virgin Islands, 2016 V.I. LEXIS 212 (V.I. Super. Ct., Dec. 21, 2016).
  • Successfully defended largest retail mall in the U.S.V.I. in wrongful death claim where tenant was shot while leaving premises. Mall was sued for negligent security in failing to have proper number of security officers on duty, inadequate lighting, insufficient video surveillance, insufficient video surveillance, insufficient video surveillance monitoring, and lack of patrolling in the mall parking lot at the time of incident.
  • Successfully defended claims of multiple plaintiffs against U.S.V.I bank and ADT against allegations of negligent security during a bank robbery where 11 patrons and employees brought suit.

  • Finding Community in Chaos: The Critical Impact of Disaster Legal Aid, National Bar Association Annual Meeting, 2018
  • Preparing for Mediation, PERB Administrative Hearing and Grievance Mediation Professional Development Training, 2016
  • Ineffective Assistance: Ethically Defending Yesterday’s Conduct Tomorrow, Virgin Islands Bar Association, 2015
  • Past is Prologue: Applying Today’s Ethics Rules to Tomorrow’s Law Practice, Virgin Islands Bar Association, 2015
  • Virgin Islands Administrative Law, Virgin Islands Bar Association, 2015

  • You Want to FAX It?: Technological Competence for Virgin Islands Lawyers, co-author, Virgin Islands Bar Journal (Summer 2015 Issue).
  • Virgin Islands Midyear Case Law Roundup, author, Virgin Islands Bar Journal (Summer 2015 Issue.)

  • Florida
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
  • United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
  • United States District Court of the Virgin Islands

  • Virgin Islands Bar Association: Past President (2019)
  • Legal Services of the Virgin Islands: Board of Trustees, Past President (2016 to 2018)
  • American Bar Association, Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section
  • National Bar Association Commercial Law Section (NBA-CLS)
  • National Conference of Bar Presidents Diversity Scholar (2018 – 2019)
  • Fellows of the American Bar Foundation