Fighting for the Underdog. Protecting the American Dream.

Frances A. Tomes has spent nearly four decades fighting for the underdog.  Throughout her legal career, she has represented individuals and small business owners facing powerful opponents from major corporations and insurance companies to the Internal Revenue Service and the New Jersey Division of Taxation.

She has always believed in the American Dream: that through hard work, determination, and opportunity, people can build better lives for themselves and their families. She also believes that when people encounter legal or financial obstacles, they deserve someone willing to stand up for them.   That belief has guided her career.

As the founder of Tomes Law Firm, PC, Frances brings decades of litigation experience to representing individuals and businesses facing serious tax problems, government audits, overwhelming debt, and financial and legal challenges.  She understands that dealing with the IRS or New Jersey Division of Taxation or Mastercard can leave people feeling powerless. The government has extensive resources, experienced representatives, and the authority to assess and collect taxes.

But the government  and big business do not always get it right.

Frances believes that the David’s of the world  deserve an attorney who will examine the evidence, question unsupported conclusions, challenge improper assessments, and advocate for their rights against the Goliaths of the world.   To Frances, representing taxpayers and individuals and small businesses with financial problems  is a natural continuation of the work she has done throughout her career: standing up for people who deserve a fair opportunity to be heard

Tax Resolution, Bankruptcy, Debt Defense, and Litigation

Today, Frances concentrates much of her practice on helping individuals and businesses resolve IRS and New Jersey tax problems, from audits and disputed assessments to tax debt, liens, levies, and collection actions. Drawing on her litigation background, she examines the records, challenges conclusions that are not supported by the facts or law, and evaluates the full range of available options, including appeals, negotiated resolutions, and appropriate collection relief. Her focus is on finding the right strategy for the client, not simply accepting the government’s first position.    Her commitment to the underdog also extends to bankruptcy, debt defense, and business litigation. Frances and her team help people facing overwhelming debt explore the possibility of a fresh start, defend against creditor lawsuits, and represent business owners in disputes that threaten what they have built. Whether the opponent is a taxing authority, a creditor, or another business, Frances brings the same careful preparation, legal analysis, and determined advocacy to protecting her clients’ interests.

She believes that financial hardship or a legal dispute should not automatically end someone’s opportunity to rebuild and pursue the American Dream.

A Different Kind of Fight. The Same Commitment to the Underdog.

For much of her career, Frances represented individuals who had suffered devastating physical injuries, including victims of dangerous products, asbestos exposure, and other serious wrongdoing.     Through complex litigation, mass tort cases, and class actions, she represented people whose lives had been permanently changed, often taking on major corporations with significant financial and legal resources.

Then Frances faced a life-changing challenge of her own: cancer.   The physical demands of lengthy jury trials made continuing that aspect of her practice impractical. But while she needed to change the way she practiced law, she had no intention of giving up what had motivated her throughout her career:  helping people overcome devastating circumstances and standing up for those who needed an advocate.  She found another way to continue that mission through tax resolution, bankruptcy, debt defense, and business litigation.

The injuries may be different, but the consequences can be equally life-changing.

Where her former clients faced physical injuries that threatened their health, independence, and livelihoods, her clients today may face financial devastation, emotional distress, and the possible loss of everything they have worked to build.   A business owner facing overwhelming tax liabilities may fear losing a lifetime of hard work. A family struggling with debt may face losing its home. someone being sued by a creditor may feel powerless against a large financial institution.  Frances understands that these are not simply legal or financial problems. They affect people’s lives, families, businesses, and sense of security.   Her transition allowed her to continue doing what she has always believed lawyers should do: use their knowledge, experience, and advocacy skills to help people navigate difficult circumstances and protect their rights.

The legal problems may have changed, but her mission has not.

Building, Protecting, and Preserving the American Dream

Frances believes that the American Dream is not simply about overcoming adversity. It is also about having the opportunity to build something meaningful and protect it for the future.  She knows that firsthand.   After working her way through college and law school with the assistance of scholarships and part-time employment, Frances began her legal career and founded Tomes Law Firm in 1993.  Over the years, she built her own law practice, navigated the challenges of business ownership, and adapted when unexpected circumstances required her to change direction.  Those experiences gave her a deep appreciation for the determination, sacrifices, and difficult decisions involved in building something of your own.  They also shaped the next chapter of her professional mission.

Through LIFT SMART, Frances helps small business owners move beyond crisis management and build stronger businesses. Drawing on her own experience growing a law firm, she works with entrepreneurs to identify legal and operational risks, make informed decisions, and address problems before they threaten years of effort. She wants business owners to have practical guidance not only when something goes wrong, but while they are building something worthwhile.

Her commitment to the American Dream also extends to estate planning. Through the firm’s estate planning services, Frances helps individuals and families make thoughtful decisions about protecting their assets, caring for loved ones, and preserving a legacy. To her, helping people recover from setbacks, build financial security, and pass on what they have created are parts of the same mission.

Decades of Litigation Experience

Before concentrating much of her practice on tax and financial controversies, Frances built an extensive litigation career representing individuals and businesses in complex legal disputes.  She served as co-lead counsel in Extensis, Inc. v. Hewlett-Packard Company, a consumer fraud class action that resulted in a settlement valued at more than $140 million in rebate certificates and repair kits for purchasers of certain Hewlett-Packard printers.  Frances was also one of three trial attorneys representing plaintiffs in the first multi-plaintiff trial in New Jersey asbestos litigation.   Her experience includes substantial personal injury litigation, pharmaceutical and medical device cases, consumer fraud, class actions, and complex business disputes.  She has also represented clients in disputes involving student loan debt, disability benefits, and consumer financial obligations.

Throughout her career, Frances has represented individuals and businesses facing opponents with considerably greater financial resources.   Those experiences shaped her approach to legal representation: thorough preparation, careful examination of evidence, attention to detail, and a willingness to challenge conclusions that are not supported by the facts or the law.  Those unique experiences also allow her to proactively represent businesses and families to deter litigation in the future.

Education and Background

Frances graduated with high honors from Pace University with a degree in Business Administration and earned her law degree with honors from New York Law School in 1986. Before founding Tomes Law Firm in 1993, she practiced with Garruto, Galex and Cantor in East Brunswick, New Jersey, and Subin Associates in New York City.  Her professional involvement has included service on the Board of Governors of the New Jersey Association for Justice and participation in professional committees addressing consumer protection, medical malpractice, class actions, and product liability.  She has also served as co-liaison counsel in New Jersey pharmaceutical injury litigation, participated in the Middlesex County Asbestos Advisory Board, and provided pro bono representation to individuals unable to afford legal services.

Frances has been recognized among New Jersey’s top attorneys by her peers and has pursued additional professional education in federal tax resolution and audit representation to complement her decades of litigation experience.

• Certified Tax Representation Consultant (CTRC) — Resolution, Tax Rep Network, LLC
• Certified Tax Representation Consultant (CTRC) — Audit, Tax Rep Network, LLC
• Certified Taxpayer Representative, Tax Resolution Academy

These credentials reflect her ongoing commitment to professional development in IRS collection procedures, tax examinations, appeals, and taxpayer representation.

Certification Disclosure: Tax Rep Network, LLC and Tax Resolution Academy are private certification organizations. Neither organization has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey or the American Bar Association to certify attorneys as specialists in tax law. These credentials are not certifications issued by the Supreme Court of New Jersey or an ABA-approved certifying organization

She is married and is the proud parent of  two children who are pursuing the American Dream of an entrepreneur in building their own businesses.  Although Frances has spent decades litigating complex cases, one of the most rewarding parts of practicing law remains meeting with people, hearing their stories, and helping them overcome challenges.  She understands that people rarely contact an attorney because everything in their lives is going well.  She believes clients deserve honest advice, realistic expectations, and an attorney who will take the time to understand their circumstances.  Her career has taken her from courtrooms and major class actions to tax controversies and financial disputes, and now to helping families and businesses build and preserve their futures.  Through it all, one belief has remained constant.

“I have spent my career helping people fight for their American Dream. Now, I also want to help them build it, protect it, and pass it on.”

That is the philosophy behind Tomes Law Firm, PC.

 

 

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