Partner
Thomas G. Connolly

Practices
Education
- William & Mary Law School, J.D.
- Northwestern University, B.A.
Clerkship
- Hon. James H. Michael, Jr., U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia
Admission
- Virginia
- District of Columbia
- New York
- United States Supreme Court
Tom Connolly is routinely recognized as one of the leading practitioners in litigation, focusing on trial practice and matters of complex criminal and civil litigation, as well as internal and governmental investigations.
Tom has represented a variety of individual and corporate clients in matters including white collar criminal defense, securities and accounting fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), antitrust, environmental, healthcare fraud, export controls, and matters involving national security. He has also represented clients called to testify before House and Senate committees.
Tom founded HWG’s litigation practice and served as chair until 2024.
Before joining HWG, Tom served ten years as an Assistant United States Attorney in both the Eastern District of Virginia and the District of Columbia. During his tenure as a prosecutor, Tom was lead trial counsel in more than 50 jury trials in matters involving espionage, homicide, RICO, public corruption, bank fraud, government procurement fraud, export control matters, and immigration fraud.
Tom was awarded both the John Marshall Award, the Department of Justice’s highest honor, as well as the Intelligence Medallion, the CIA’s highest civilian honor, for his work in the prosecution of James Nicholson, the highest-ranking CIA official ever convicted of espionage. Tom also successfully prosecuted David Sheldon Boone, a National Security Agency (NSA) crypto analyst, for spying on behalf of the Russian Federation.
Tom is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a professional organization of the leading trial attorneys in the nation. In addition, Best Lawyers has identified him as a leading litigator every year since 2004 and Chambers USA ranked him among the nation’s leading white-collar crime and government investigations practitioners. He has been recognized 10 times in Washingtonian magazine’s “Best Lawyers” in D.C. issue and in the publication’s 2022 “Top Lawyers Hall of Fame” list.
Read More+Education
- William & Mary Law School, J.D.
- Northwestern University, B.A.
Representative Experience
- Served as lead counsel in the matter of Hatfill v. Ashcroft, a Federal Privacy Act suit brought by Dr. Steven Hatfill against Attorney General John Ashcroft, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the FBI, after a campaign of leaks in the government’s investigation of the anthrax attacks. Dr. Hatfill was fully exonerated by the FBI. The government ultimately paid Dr. Hatfill $5.8 million, one of the largest Privacy Act settlements in history.
- Represented one of the defendants in S. v. Price, Zaborsky & Ward, a high-profile obstruction of justice case in the District of Columbia Superior Court. At the conclusion of the two-month trial, the defendant was found not guilty.
Recognition
- Ranked in Chambers USA for Litigation, White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (2013 – present)
- Ranked in Chambers USA for Litigation: Trial Lawyers USA – Nationwide (2019 – present)
- Selected through peer review for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© (2007 – Present)
- Leading Litigator (2004 – present)
- Lawyer of the Year
- Selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers in Washington, D.C. (2007 – present)
- Named among the Top 100: Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers (2013, 2016, 2021 – 2024)
- Named to Washingtonian magazine’s “Best Lawyers” in D.C. list
- “Top Lawyers Hall of Fame” list, 2022
- Selected for inclusion in the Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll (2023)
- John Marshall Award, 1997
- CIA Intelligence Medallion, 1997
Professional and Community Involvement
Professional Affiliations
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Member
Pro Bono and Community Involvement
- Chris 4 Life, Board Member
Firm Involvement
- Litigation and Investigations Practice Group, Founder and Former Chair
Presentations and Publications
Presentations and Lectures
- “Procrastinators Rejoice: Just in Time!,” (Presenter) CLE Seminar (October 2016)
Media Coverage
- Featured in “The Anthrax Attacks,” Netflix Documentary (2022)
- Quoted in “Firefighter sues over no-knock raid: Montgomery Co. police ‘terrorized an innocent family,” WTOP News (May 2021)