Bio - TK&L | TK&L

Isobel S. Thomas

Isobel brings an exceptional record of success, an established network of resources from across the country, and, most importantly, a vision and determination to build and maintain more personal and meaningful attorney-client relationships. These are the underpinnings of Thomas, Keel & Laird, co-founded with Jennifer Keel and Matthew Laird. Isobel and the team guarantee openness, availability, and above-and-beyond dedication to every client from his or her initial consultation onward.

Nationally recognized in her field, Isobel has more than two decades of experience representing a wide range of clients in a variety of practice areas, specializing in medical malpractice, personal injury, birth injury, brain injury, nursing home malpractice, and wrongful death cases. She is particularly passionate about representing infants who have been injured during birth, and has relentlessly sought justice for these small clients for the majority of her career. She is the immediate past co-chair of the American Association for Justice’s Birth Trauma Litigation Group (BTLG), which has a national membership of attorneys with a subspecialty in birth injury litigation.

Isobel graduated from University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1988 with a B.A. in Psychology and English, before going on to complete her education at DePaul University College of Law. She is admitted to practice in Colorado, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Texas. Most recently, Isobel has handled cases in Arkansas, Illinois, New Mexico and Colorado.

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

Colorado - 2007
Illinois - 1996
Arkansas - 2005
Texas - 2002
Massachusetts - 1996
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois - 1996
U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas - 2003
U. S. District Court, District of Colorado

Education

DePaul University, College of Law - J.D., 1996
University of Wisconsin – Madison - B.A., 1988

Memberships & Affiliations

American Association for Justice

Executive Board, Birth Trauma Litigation Group – 2017, 2018
Co-chair Birth Trauma Litigation Group – 2015, 2016, 2017
Co-chair Medical Negligence Information Exchange Group – 2013, 2014, 2015
Newsletter Editor for Birth Trauma Litigation Group – 2013, 2014, 2015
Article Peer Reviewer

American Bar Association

Past Member, Tort and Insurance Practice Section
Past Vice Chair, Trial Techniques Committee

Colorado Bar Association

Colorado Trial Lawyers Association

Colorado Women’s Bar Association

Denver Bar Association

Professional Recognition

5280 Magazine, Denver’s Top Lawyers - 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Top Verdict, Top 50 U.S. Verdicts - 2016
The Best Lawyers in America, Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs - 2013, 2015, 2016
Texas Rising Star, Texas Super Lawyers - 2014

Speaking Engagements & Publications

“Exposing Difficult Defense Experts in Depositions”

AAJ 71st Annual Melvin Belli Seminar – Denver, CO – 2018

“Causation: Establishing Timing and Etiology of Brain Damage: Imaging”

Invited Faculty, AAJ Electronic Fetal Monitoring in Birth Injury Cases Seminar – Philadelphia, PA – 2018

“Shoulder Dystocia”

Invited Faculty, AAJ Electronic Fetal Monitoring in Birth Injury Cases Seminar – Philadelphia, PA – 2018

“Defenses to Causation: Genetics”

Invited Faculty, AAJ Electronic Fetal Monitoring in Birth Injury Cases Seminar – Philadelphia, PA – 2018

“Hospital Liability, Part I: Legal Theories”

Invited Faculty, AAJ Electronic Fetal Monitoring in Birth Injury Cases Seminar – Philadelphia, PA – 2018

“Using Treating Physicians Effectively”

2018 AAJ Winter Convention – Maui, HI – 2018

“David vs. Goliath – Beating the Big Defense Firms at Their Own Game”

CTLA Blockbuster Seminar – Denver, CO – 2018

“David vs. Goliath – Beating the Big Defense Firms at Their Own Game”

American Association for Justice, 2017 Annual Convention – Boston, MA – 2017

“Patient Malpractice and Office Staff Litigations: Tips to Avoid Seeing Me – Perspective from a Malpractice Attorney”

American Society of Breast Surgeons, 18th Annual Meeting – Las Vegas, NV – 2017

“Subrogation in Medical Malpractice and Wrongful Death Cases”

Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, 2017 Subrogation Seminar – Denver, CO – 2017

“Life Care Plans and Life Expectancy”

American Association for Justice, 2017 Winter Convention – Austin, TX – 2017

“Using Depositions to Make Your Case”

Kentucky Trial Lawyers Association, Annual Convention – Nashville, TN – 2016

“Medical Malpractice Negligence and Damages that Last a Lifetime”

Kentucky Academy of Trial Lawyers Association, Damages and Evidence: Evaluating, Pleading, and Proving Seminar – Covington, KY – 2004

“Creative Deposition Preparation”

American Bar Association, Trial Techniques Committee Newsletter – 2003

“Causation in Breast Cancer Cases: Challenging the Doubling-Time Defense”

Texas Lawyer Magazine – 2002

“Liability for Faculty Credentialing”

American Trial Lawyers Association, Failure to Diagnose Seminar – Las Vegas, NV – 2002

“You Have a Verdict, So What?”

American Association for Justice, Litigation Tactics of ATLA All-Stars – 2002

“Is She Really an Expert: Qualifications of Experts”

The Illinois Institute of Continuing Education – 2001

“Proper Docketing and Control of the Case”

Chicago Bar Association, Continuing Legal Education Program – 1997

Jennifer L. Keel

Jennifer is admitted to practice in Maryland, Minnesota (inactive), the District of Columbia, California (inactive), Colorado, and New Mexico, and handles catastrophic injury cases across the country. Her practice focuses on complex medical malpractice cases involving birth trauma, kernicterus, cerebral palsy, brain and spinal cord injuries, and many other medical and surgical errors that have resulted in catastrophic injuries and/or death.

Jennifer is one of the industry’s thought leaders on electronic medical records evidence and audit trail use in medical negligence litigation, and teaches lawyers across the country how to obtain and make use of this important evidence. She also consults for lawyers and law firms on an hourly basis to assist with these issues in their cases.

Jennifer has a unique and varied medical background not typical of medical negligence lawyers. In addition to her undergraduate education in biology and biochemistry, she also completed the rigorous didactic and clinical education program for New York State’s highest level of prehospital care providers, and became a paramedic in 1995. She worked as a full-time paramedic for six years in the city of Rochester, New York, during which time she treated thousands of patients in need of emergent medical and surgical intervention in the prehospital setting. Jennifer also spent two years as a Tissue Procurement Specialist and Procurement Team Leader for the Rochester Eye and Human Parts Bank, where she performed sterile, surgical tissue procurement procedures on tissue donors to recover transplantable joints and tissues for recipients across the country.

While completing her undergraduate education, Jennifer worked in the operating room as an anesthesia technician and scrub-assist technician, in a secured skilled nursing facility attending to Alzheimer’s patients, and gained experience in various areas of veterinary medicine and surgery—each of which contributes to her understanding of broad medical and physiological concepts. Jennifer’s background and specialized medical training and experience makes her uniquely well-suited to medical negligence litigation, which is the primary focus in her practice. Jennifer’s cumulative experiences in patient care provide a distinct advantage to her clients: her broad base of knowledge of medicine and medical and surgical standards and techniques offers context within which to analyze and prosecute cases.

Jennifer has taught a course in medical malpractice litigation with the Sturm College of Law in Denver, has published articles on various topics in medical negligence, and has lectured in various continuing legal education programs and private seminars across the country.