Thompson Hine LLP is pleased to announce that Tim Goodman has been named partner in charge of its Washington, D.C. office. Goodman succeeds David A. Wilson, who will continue his counseling and litigation practice in the firm’s Business Litigation group.
Goodman is a partner in the Automotive & Mobility and Transportation practices and a former senior U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) official. He provides leadership and counsel in a broad range of transportation-related operational, litigation and enforcement, business, regulatory and policy issues, while promoting safety, compliance, innovation, efficiencies, and cost savings.
With a deep understanding of the regulators developed while spending nearly a decade leading matters of national and global significance at DOT, Goodman assists clients marshal resources, achieve their goals, drive compliance, mitigate safety and business risks, and expand business and policy opportunities.
Goodman helps clients adapt and bring order to constant disruption with lessons learned – from both sides of the table – in leading numerous high-profile litigation and enforcement actions (including matters before the U.S. Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit), consent orders, and teams in the automotive and mobility industry, as well as other transportation modes. He counsels clients on defending government inquiries and enforcement proceedings, negotiating multimillion-dollar government consent orders/settlements, safety, regulatory compliance and risk mitigation efforts, leading compliance audits and organizational change, standards enforcement, defects and non-compliance investigations, recall implementation, self-certification of standards, homologation, best practices and emerging trends.
While at the DOT, Goodman served in various capacities, including at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and in the Secretary of Transportation’s Office of the General Counsel. As NHTSA’s Assistant Chief Counsel for Litigation and Enforcement, Goodman was the chief legal officer for litigation and enforcement for the 600-plus employee federal agency. As a senior trial attorney in the Secretary of Transportation’s Office of the General Counsel, he led DOT legal teams in handling a wide variety of significant litigation matters and administrative proceedings.
“We thank David for managing our D.C. office for over a decade. He has overseen the strategic growth of the office, bringing in new practice areas including Government Contracts and Automotive & Mobility,” said Deborah Z. Read, Thompson Hine’s managing partner. “Tim brings to the table strong leadership skills from his military background and government positions. We are confident that the office will continue to thrive as Tim deploys his skills in this position. He is a highly regarded transportation lawyer known for his sound judgment and navigation of complex, novel matters.”
Goodman has been widely recognized as a legal and business leader. His distinctions include being ranked by Chambers USA and The Legal 500. While working for the government he received the DOT Lawrence R. Schneider Award (DOT’s highest recognition of outstanding legal achievement), DOT General Counsel’s Award for Exceptional Performance (General Counsel’s highest award) and the DOT Gold Medal (Department’s highest award).
“It is a privilege to be selected to lead the Washington office,” said Goodman. “I look forward to working more closely with the firm’s leadership to continue exploring and developing innovative legal service delivery strategies for our clients.” Goodman earned his J.D., cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and his B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.