Tom Cannavo is an attorney with 20 years of experience as a trial lawyer handling matters including auto accidents, high exposure labor law and products liability cases, commercial actions, and medical and dental malpractice.  In 2010 he established and managed the Buffalo office of McCabe, Collins, McGeough & Fowler, LLP, a Long Island based litigation and trial firm for whom he had worked as local counsel.  As a junior partner, he was integral to the establishment of the Buffalo office, including identifying and leasing office space; purchasing computer hardware and software; retaining an IT vendor to network the computer system and connect the Buffalo office to the main office on Long Island; as well as interviewing and hiring secretarial staff. He was primarily responsible for all of the cases sued in Western New York, from initial file intake through trial. 

Shortly after opening the Buffalo office, he tried to verdict a matter in the Rochester area for an existing firm client that had not yet committed to giving the firm work in the Buffalo area.  Shortly after a successful verdict, the carrier transferred all of its Buffalo area cases (existing and future) to the firm’s Buffalo office. Upon leaving the firm for his present position, he hand picked his successor, who is still running the office today. Within a few months of his departure, the firm hired another attorney in the Buffalo office to handle the caseload. The Buffalo office was immediately profitable in its first year, a fact that Tom is proud of to this day. 

Immediately prior to McCabe Collins, Tom was a junior partner at insurance defense firm Kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak, LLP for approximately 7 years.  He was initially brought to the firm as an experienced trial attorney to handle all manner of cases, particularly those with high exposure.  He managed his own case load through trial, and additionally tried cases for associates and partners who preferred to not engage in trial work.  As the firm began to place an emphasis on client development and new business, Tom expanded his existing client base by adding 3 new insurance carries, a 3^rd party administrator, and was local counsel to the McCabe Collins firm.  He left the Kenney Shelton firm at the end of 2009 to join McCabe Collins.

In 2011 Tom was presented with a unique opportunity.  A close personal friend of over 20 years was elected as a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court and asked Tom to serve as his Principal Law Clerk, where he serves to this day.