Thomas P. Tully
Thomas “Tom” Tully brings a rare combination of legal acumen, business insight, public service, and creative perspective to his work as an attorney. Over the course of his career, he has built and led businesses, served in state government, and worked alongside accomplished trial lawyers—experiences that have given him both depth and range. Today, that background shapes a practice defined by sound judgment, thoughtful counsel, and a genuine commitment to the people he serves.
Clients appreciate Tom not only for his breadth of experience, but for the way he puts it to work on their behalf. He is known for listening carefully, communicating with clarity, and approaching complex issues with a calm, creative, and practical mindset. His ability to connect with people from all walks of life gives his counsel a distinctly personal quality—measured, perceptive, and grounded in real-world understanding.
Tom actively pursues cases involving catastrophic injuries as Tom has directly been influenced through his father’s death due to asbestos exposure. Tom has a unique understanding of the pain, suffering, and all the other emotions that a family feels because of a serious injury and as a lawyer he can work at a level that few other attorneys can relate to.
Tom is also a zealous advocate for individuals harmed due to the negligence of someone/something else such as car accidents, semi accidents, motorcycle accidents, wrongful death, dog bites/animal attacks, insurance bad faith, and medical negligence. Tom is a dedicated attorney serving individuals throughout the Midwest, his legal preference has always been, and will always continue to be, the representation of victims and their families. His personal philosophy incorporates a strong commitment to understanding the circumstances confronting his clients and a vigorous will to see that responsible parties are held accountable for the damages they have caused to achieve justice for his clients.
Before joining VanDerGinst Law, Tom practiced law as a solo practitioner as well as he founded and operated several unrelated businesses, including a fine dining restaurant, appeared in a few Hollywood motion pictures and a TV movie, wrote lyrics to a charted Jazz album, appeared in a Rap video, developed and designed a unique retail Playing Card Company, and he served as a political appointee in State government as the assistant Secretary of State for the State of Iowa. In the years immediately preceding law school, he also built a successful legal consulting practice supporting prominent trial attorneys throughout the Midwest and surrounding states. Through that work, he contributed to hundreds of mediations and second-chaired more than 70 trials. He also spent more than a year working with renowned civil rights attorney Gerry Spence on his final civil rights trial—an experience that remains a meaningful part of his professional story.
Tom’s broad perspective was shaped early, growing up in Washington, D.C., where politics, public service, and intellectual curiosity were part of daily life. After returning with his family to Dubuque, Iowa, he continued to develop interests that ranged from business and the arts to technology and civic engagement. His father, Thomas A. Tully, was his role model and was a
successful Mayor of Dubuque, Iowa and businessperson in the Dubuque area. Tom’s mother, Joan DuBay-Tully, is a nationally recognized professional artist. These experiences and background still inform the way he practices law today: with curiosity, perspective, and an appreciation for the individual story behind every matter.
Tom studied computer, architectural, and industrial engineering at Iowa State University before earning a degree in Business Administration from William Penn University. He later received his Juris Doctor from Drake University Law School. Having lived and worked in Washington, D.C., Boston, Minneapolis, and communities across Iowa, he brings both a broad outlook and a strong sense of place to his work. Tom is licensed in Federal and State Courts in Iowa and is a Board Member of the American Bar Association GP/Solo Division, he is a member of the Iowa Bar, and the Iowa Association of Justice. He now calls the Des Moines area home. Outside the office, Tom enjoys cars, politics, jazz, comedy clubs, golf, scuba diving, cooking, electronics, and travel.