Thomas White is a retired partner of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, in Washington, D.C., where he practiced from 1979 to 2017. He practiced corporate, securities and bankruptcy law, with a focus on corporate governance and disclosure. Tom also served as General Counsel of WilmerHale from 2009 to 2017.
At WilmerHale, Tom advised numerous Fortune 100, mid-cap, and small-cap companies and their boards and management on key issues under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, including internal control over financial reporting, attorney responsibility policies, director/officer loans, whistleblowers and auditor independence. He also advised clients and their boards and management on difficult corporate law, securities and accounting issues, and in conducting internal investigations. In addition, Tom represented US and international accounting firms in regulatory and other matters.
Tom has particular experience in legal and regulatory aspects of accounting and auditing. He has advised companies and audit committees in financial reporting, accounting, regulatory and enforcement matters. He served as a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council (FASAC) and as the Co-Chair of the National Conference of Lawyers and CPAs. In 2018 and 2020, Tom taught “Accounting for Lawyers” to classes of female law students and law graduates at a university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Tom graduated from Columbia Law School in 1978, where he was Articles and Book Reviews Editor of the Columbia Law Review and a James Kent Scholar. He clerked for Judge Harold Leventhal of the D.C. Circuit in 1978-79.