TOMES LAW - Key Persons
Christine is our Legal Assistant. She assists our lawyers in preparing and organizing various legal documents. Her undergraduate and graduate school education included government and legal studies. She made great memories from when she studied civil litigation in New York and Paris, France. Christine is passionate about U.S. and international law, human rights, justice, and global conflict resolution. In her free time, she loves to read, write, and spend time with loved ones.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Founder and Managing Attorney of Jacobs Counsel
Drew Jacobs is the Founder and Managing Attorney of Jacobs Counsel LLC and "Of Counsel" to Tomes Law Firm. Drew focuses on providing a host of transactional legal services to businesses, entrepreneurs, and high-performing individuals as a trusted advisor, primarily on estate planning & asset protection. Additionally, he represents business clients on a broad spectrum of commercial and transactional agreements.
Drew has worked with numerous high-achieving individuals and families on a full slate of estate planning matters. He focuses on working with clients to understand their priorities and helps clients protect the future of their family, wealth, and business through a comprehensive planning and consultative process.
A native of Mendham, New Jersey, Drew had a prolific high school basketball career at Mendham High School. He was an all-state point guard and 1000-point scorer. Drew won a state championship and multiple county championships, establishing himself as one of the winningest players in Morris County basketball history. He went on to attend Boston College, where he walked-on to the ACC basketball team during his freshman year. He was also a member of the Honors Program at the Carroll School of Management in addition to his work with Campus Ministry and other mentorship groups on campus.
Following his graduation from Boston College, Dew founded Head and Heart Hoops, a basketball training company in the Northeast. He parlayed his passion for teaching, counseling, and mentorship into a successful business, coaching and training basketball players of all skill levels. With Head and Heart Hoops, Drew has developed and mentored several professional and Division 1 college basketball players, learning how to implement strategic plans and execute on those plans to achieve results for his clients.
Drew attended Seton Hall University School of Law. During his time at Seton Hall, he served as the Symposium Editor of the Seton Hall Law School Legislative Journal. As the Symposium Editor, Jacobs developed and produced the first annual Seton Hall Sports Law Symposium, bringing together prominent athletes, academics, and practitioners to discuss the future of Sports Law. He also authored a legal comment exploring the nexus of tax policy and community development titled "Unlocking the ‘Opportunity' in Opportunity Zones."
Following graduation, Drew was hired as a consultant for Seton Hall Law School to found their sports, entertainment, and gaming law program. As a consultant, Jacobs fortified the success of the first Symposium by hosting the second annual Sports Law Symposium, focusing on Social Justice in Sports.
Job Titles:
- Attorney Profile Tomes Law Firm, PC
- Founding Member of the Firm Tomes Law Firm
Frances A. Tomes is a shareholder and founding member of the firm Tomes Law Firm, PC. She received her law degree in 1986 after being able to attend college and law school on scholarships while holding down a part time job. Always a strong believer in the American Dream and the rights of the underdog, she works with business clients to lift and grow their business into a legacy with which they can experience the American Dream and helps injured, defrauded and debt ridden people battle the government, insurance companies, banks, pharmaceutical companies and other big business to obtain the justice they deserve. She handles cases involving general civil litigation, including medical malpractice claims, pharmaceutical and medical device claims, class actions, fraud and business litigation. She also handles cases involving individual and class action consumer protection cases. Ms. Tomes received her degree in Business Administration from Pace University with high honors, and her law degree with honors from New York Law School in New York, NY. Before forming this firm in 1993, she was an attorney at Garruto, Galex and Cantor in East Brunswick, NJ, and Subin Associates in New York City.
Frances was one of three trial attorneys representing plaintiffs in the first multi-plaintiff trial in NJ asbestos litigation resulting in a combined verdict of over $1 million. She has successfully litigated numerous other multi-plaintiff cases.
She has also litigated as co-lead counsel consumer product class actions that have generated settlements for consumers nationwide.
In Extensis, Inc. v. Hewlett-Packard Company, Frances was co-lead counsel in a consumer fraud class action that resulted in a settlement valued at over $140 million in rebate certificates and repair kits for purchasers of certain defective HP LaserJet printers.
Other cases in which she obtained large settlements in class action suits include Pisano v. Peg Perego, involving defective strollers, as well as Gutelkov v. Buy Buy Baby, involving improper tax charges.
She has successfully resolved student loan debts by convincing NJ HESAA to deduct thousands of dollars on its interest so that students can get a fair break as well as taken on the Internal Revenue Service to reduce client's liability for taxes. She has litigated substantial business claims for local businesses as well as helped them plan their business to grow and avoid court, a passion she is most proud of as she is an entrepreneur herself.
Many of her personal injury claims have resolved for 7 figures allowing her clients to fulfill their medical needs and she has been successfully represented numerous individuals denied their disability benefits by Social Security.
As much as she loves being in the courtroom, her favorite part of law is meeting with people and working together with them to improve their lives, despite the tragedy that has hit them, and the pride she feels when her client has overcome their struggles.
Frances is a member of the Board of Governors of the New Jersey Association of Justice and a member of the Insurance Bad Faith Committee of the New Jersey Association of Justice and is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association Committees for Consumer Protection, Medical Malpractice, Class Action and Product Liability as well as a member of the National Association of Tax Professionals.
Frances has been designated as one of the Top Attorneys in New Jersey by her peers since 2010. She worked Pro-Bono as Co-Liaison Counsel for the former New Jersey Bextra Pharmaceutical Injury Litigation, was previously a member of the Middlesex County Asbestos Advisory Board as well as handled a number of cases without charge for impoverished clients of Legal Services of New Jersey.
She is married and has two children who are pursuing the American Dream of an entrepreneur in building their own businesses. In her past time, she loves meeting people, reading about personal and business growth as well as watching ice hockey and soccer, the two sports her children played.
Ken Lewis was an IRS Revenue Officer for 20 years. As a Revenue Officer, he enforced the collection of back taxes owed by individuals and businesses. He garnished wages and bank accounts, and seized assets from taxpayers and sold them for the government to pay their back taxes. He also wrote off millions of dollars of tax debt for taxpayers who settled their debt with the government. He knows the ins and outs of the IRS Collection Division, and uses these skills to help his clients achieve a workable solution to their tax problems.
Ken is an Enrolled Agent, licensed by the Internal Revenue Service. The Enrolled Agent credential is the highest license that is awarded to tax practitioners by the Internal Revenue Service. Enrolled Agents must demonstrate that they have a strong working knowledge of the tax laws of the United States. They must pass three rigorous tax-law exams to prove their competence and skill. In addition, they must pass a rigorous background check conducted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Ken is licensed to practice in all 50 states and can represent any taxpayer before the IRS or State taxing authority regarding any matter of Federal or State taxation. Ken must continually maintain his tax knowledge and proficiency by taking at least 30 hours of continuing tax-education classes per year. Because of the high level of expertise in tax law that is required to become an Enrolled Agent, and the requirements to maintain their license, there are only about 50,000 Enrolled Agents in America.
Ken is a graduate of the University of Maine, and Ferris State University, in Big Rapids, Michigan. He has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Marketing. He is a member of the National Association of Enrolled agents, and a United States Air Force veteran.
Maria is our Legal Assistant. She keeps our cases moving and stays on top of our deadlines and client documents. She has an Associate of Science in Criminal Justice from Colorado Technical University and Associate in Specialized Business and Travel/Tourism Administration from The Boyd School. Maria is fluent bilingual Spanish and loves to help her Latin Community. She has lived in Freehold over 30 years. She has over 25 years of customer service and work experience. Maria is team player and loves to learn. Her passion is her family. She has one son who serves in the National Guard and a 15-year-old son was diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome and Autism. When not working, she helps those that need her and travels when she can.
Job Titles:
- Client Communication / Marketing Assistant
Monika Mazurczyk is a graduate of Smith College with a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, Monika spent over 10 years fighting for the rights of consumers, first at Bedford Stuyvesant Legal Services and then at District Council 37's Municipal Employees Legal Services Plan (DC37 MELS) in New York City. Monika defended tenants from eviction proceedings and managed hundreds of consumer chapter 7 and chapter 13 bankruptcy cases. Inspired to do more, Monika established her own law practice in 2005 in Monmouth Beach, NJ, where for 15 years she continued protecting consumers and advocating for their rights.
Monika is also an experienced residential real estate attorney, representing hundreds of purchasers and sellers in closings in Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex Counties. Monika has helped protect the assets of many homeowners by crafting the right Will, Living Will and Power of Attorney.
She has also handled the Probate of many wills for clients whose loved ones have died.
In addition to her practice, Monika was the first female president of the Rotary Club of Long Branch. She is an active environmentalist, hiker and gardener. Monika established a Climate Care Team with monthly workshops in Tinton Falls. She is fluent in Polish and is studying Spanish. Monika is an active singer and choir member, singing and cantoring regularly at the Church of St. Anselm in Tinton Falls.
Monika lives in West Long Branch with her husband Joe, a financial planner and investment manager, and their twin rescue dogs Milo and Suki. Monika and Joe have a daughter Anya who is a semi-professional harpist on full scholarship at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.
Tasmyn is our Administrative Assistant. She assists us with a range of administrative tasks including billing and payment and client updates. She also keeps our case management and policies and systems running smoothly.
As a team member she is always willing to help staff and attorneys alike in any case or department.
In her down time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, and as an avid animal lover, she enjoys taking care of her pets at home.