Terry Gaffney

Terry Gaffney brings nearly three decades of first-chair trial experience to the Cleveland office of Thomas Law Offices. Since beginning his legal career in 1997, Mr. Gaffney has devoted his practice to catastrophic medical malpractice, wrongful death, and complex products liability litigation. Over the course of his career, he has tried numerous highstakes cases to verdict and has managed hundreds of medical malpractice matters through settlement, mediation, and trial.

Mr. Gaffney’s practice focuses on representing individuals and families harmed by serious medical negligence, including birth injuries, anesthesia complications, failure to diagnose cancer, orthopedic negligence, complex hematology issues, surgical complications, pulmonary embolism, vascular surgery errors, and nursing negligence. He also has substantial experience in pharmaceutical and tobacco products liability litigation, as well as mass tort matters.

His recent trial results include jury verdicts in an extremely complex hematology wrongful death case and a seven-figure wrongful death verdict involving a pulmonary embolism. In July 2025, he secured a $3,000,000 settlement in a Maryland wrongful death medical malpractice case involving a major Maryland hospital. Throughout his career, Mr. Gaffney has overseen every phase of litigation—from case investigation and expert development to discovery, motion practice, mediation, and trial.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Gaffney represented healthcare providers and hospitals in catastrophic malpractice litigation. This defense experience gives him unique insight into how medical institutions evaluate and defend complex cases, strengthening his ability to anticipate strategies and advocate effectively for injured patients and their families. In addition to his trial work, Mr. Gaffney has contributed to the legal profession through writing and speaking. He has authored eight publications relating to medical litigation andhas presented nationally on pharmaceutical law and the effective use of medical records in trial practice.

In 2013, Mr. Gaffney was named a “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” by The National Trial Lawyers in recognition of his courtroom achievements and professional excellence.