Thomas J. Manganello

With a strong focus on the automotive industry, Tom Manganello represents clients in supply chain contracting issues and matters between suppliers and car companies. Tom’s vast experience in the area includes automotive product liability and negligence trials, as well as compliance with NHTSA regulations. In addition to handling numerous products cases, Tom advocates for clients in commercial litigation in warranty, recall and contract disputes. He also counsels manufacturing and industrial organizations in supply chain and commission sales disputes.

Serving a client base of suppliers spanning many geographic areas — from Michigan, Kentucky and South Carolina to Germany and Hong Kong — Tom helps organizations understand business challenges. These include both upstream obligations to their customer base to downstream commitments from their supply base. He guides them in navigating competing interests while furthering their own. Recent client concerns have included the imposition of steel tariffs and the drastic impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the supply chain.

Tom continually studies both current and potential threats and opportunities affecting the auto industry from a supplier perspective. This enables him to best advise clients in how they can not only avoid problems but also work better with their own customers and supply base. Tom walks his clients through close examinations of all contracts to determine risks and take proactive steps to address these threats.

Tom’s deep familiarity with the automotive industry dates back decades to when he worked in several different Detroit-area plants during college and law school. These jobs gave him a deep appreciation for the complexity of the supply chain and the amount of effort that goes into making any vehicle.

Tom co-leads Warner’s Automotive Industry Group and heads the firm’s Autonomous and Connected Mobility subcommittee. He is the founder and past chairman of MICHauto, Michigan’s automotive industry cluster association. He is a board member and Secretary of The Automotive Hall of Fame. Past, 28 year Sustaining Member of PLAC, f/k/a the Product Liability Advisory Council.