Tom Nafziger is an experienced attorney who focuses his practice on representing and protecting the rights of workers whose employers have violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) or otherwise failed to follow the law. But Tom’s commitment to working people isn’t just a product of being a lawyer. In fact, his diverse employment background before starting his legal career instilled in Tom a deep appreciation of what it’s like to work hard every single day with the simple and reasonable expectation of being paid and treated fairly.
Born and raised in Michigan, Tom joined Sommers Schwartz after spending several years representing the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, in a wide range of matters. In this role, he gained substantial experience in all aspects of litigation, handling cases involving premises liability, use of force and misidentification by police officers, automobile negligence, and the maintenance of trees, sewers, and other public property. He also represented Honolulu in administrative agency decision appeals, a trial regarding defamation by public officials, and as a plaintiff in lawsuits against individuals to recover for damage caused to public property.
In addition to providing him with invaluable litigation experience, Tom’s work in Honolulu helped him develop a first-hand understanding of how large employers address employment matters and claims. He uses these insights to help him in his FLSA practice to formulate strategies to vindicate his clients’ rights.
Before pursuing a career in law, Tom held hourly wage jobs in various fields, including delivery driving, home maintenance, junk removal, retail, security, lifeguarding, and the restaurant industry. Having worked for both big corporations and small businesses, Tom knows how painful it is when employers don’t “play by the rules” regarding wages and hours and other employment law issues. That is what drives him to do everything possible to protect workers from such injustices.
Memberships
- State Bar of Michigan
- Labor & Employment Law and Young Lawyers Sections
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa – William S. Richardson School of Law
- Juris Doctor, Class of 2020
- Hawaii Pacific University
- BA Psychology, Dec 2016
- Michigan
- Hawaii
- Employment Law
- Unpaid Wages & Overtime