Thomas Booms
After earning his undergraduate degrees in accounting and finance, Tom Booms landed a job that altered his career path. During his two years as a financial analyst at Chicago-based Ocean Tomo, where he prepared expert reports and financial models quantifying economic damages in commercial disputes, Booms became increasingly intrigued by the legal aspects of his work. He had become a Certified Public Accountant soon after graduating from Miami University and was considering graduate programs in business before his growing interest in corporate law led to him apply to law schools instead. “I was confident a law degree would complement anything I decided to do going forward,” he said.
Vanderbilt was one of 17 schools to which Booms applied. His visit in mid-April, during which he attended Terry Maroney’s Criminal Law class and toured the law school and campus, played a crucial role in his decision to attend. “I absolutely loved the school, and the smaller class size was very appealing to me,” he said. “Vanderbilt has a good academic reputation and a practical approach to teaching, which allows graduates an easier transition into firms after graduation. I was also impressed with both the facilities and the students and really liked the city.”
Booms chose to pursue the Law and Business Certificate through Vanderbilt’s Law and Business Program, directed by Randall Thomas. To earn the Certificate, students must take elective courses in accounting and finance—a requirement Booms’ undergraduate degrees satisfied—as well as courses in corporate, tax and transactional law. Booms discovered the program offered an ample array of electives. He took three classes—Corporations, Mergers and Acquisitions, and the Law and Business Seminar—from Professor Thomas. “He’s very knowledgeable and a great teacher--the courses were outstanding,” Booms said, “The Law and Business Seminar, which is co-taught by Professor Paul Edelman, was especially interesting. There were about 15 students in the class. Each week a guest speaker presented a paper, and throughout the semester we wrote five scholarly papers analyzing visiting scholars’ work.”
Booms has accepted a position focusing on debt finance with McGuireWoods in Charlotte, North Carolina, after serving as a summer associate there in 2011. “I wanted to use my business background in conjunction with my law degree,” he said, “and when I came to Vanderbilt, Charlotte was my number-one pick as the city where I wanted to go. I feel fortunate to have ended up there.”
Thomas Booms, Class of 2012
- Associate, McGuire Woods in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he focuses on debt finance
- Certified Public Accountant
- B.S. Miami University, Oxford, Ohio (Accounting and Finance)
- Financial Analyst, Ocean Tomo, Chicago—Drafted expert reports valuing intellectual property and quantifying economic damages to support litigation