Peter Tomlinson is Co-Chair of the firm and a Partner in the firm’s Litigation department, concentrating his practice in complex litigation. He is also Co-Chair of the firm’s Structured Finance Workouts and Litigation Practice group.

Mr. Tomlinson represents Ambac Assurance Corporation in several high-stakes litigations involving residential mortgage-backed securities transactions, including Ambac v. Countrywide, Ambac v. Nomura, and Ambac v. U.S. Bank. He has negotiated settlements of disputes involving residential mortgage-backed securities leading to recoveries of billions of dollars, including a settlement of $1.84 billion on behalf of Ambac in 2022. As a result of this significant settlement, Mr. Tomlinson was named “Litigator of the Week” by The American Lawyer. He also advises institutional investors in connection with structured finance transactions, including advising on their rights under the transaction documents, representing directing certificate holders in connection with litigation, and negotiating settlements on behalf of certificate holders.

A go-to litigator on various complex commercial matters, Mr. Tomlinson has handled cases in various state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate level. He was most recently featured in The American Lawyer’s “Litigator of the Week” column for securing a significant victory on behalf of the Baldwin County Bridge Company LLC, when a judge granted injunctive relieve against the Director of the Alabama Department of Transportation.  Mr. Tomlinson represented BCBC, which owns and operates a toll bridge in Baldwin Country, Alabama, in its pursuit of a court order to preliminary enjoin bad faith conduct on part of the ALDOT director.

Chambers USA recognizes Mr. Tomlinson as a leading practitioner in Litigation: Securities Institutional Plaintiff. In the guide, clients note he “has broad subject matter expertise and litigation skills, he's commercial and creative and he also has strong relationships with clients and counsel on both sides." The guide also maintains he is "an experienced, savvy and creative litigator." Benchmark: America's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys lists Mr. Tomlinson as a "Litigation Star" for New York. Peers have described Mr. Tomlinson to Benchmark as a "terrific lawyer."

Mr. Tomlinson graduated from Dartmouth College and received his JD from Emory University School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. He served as a Law Clerk to both the Hon. Raymond J. Dearie, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and the Hon. Will Garwood, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He joined Patterson Belknap in 1996. He serves on the firm’s Management Committee, and served as Co-Chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee from 2014-2017.

Bar Admissions

• U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Western District of Michigan
• New York

Education

• Emory University School of Law (J.D., 1994)
  • Emory Law Journal
  • Order of the Coif
• Dartmouth College (B.A., cum laude, 1990)

MEMBERSHIPS: Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Secretary, International Human Rights Committee, 2001-2004)

• "Full Fathom Five: Legal Hurdles to Treasure," 42 Emory Law Journal 1099 (1993)