Tom Allen
Instructor, University of Pittsburgh’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
2023
Tom Allen is a lawyer who practiced for over 40 years with the global law firm Reed Smith LLP until his retirement at the end of 2021. Tom is currently an instructor with the University of Pittsburgh’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, teaching courses about the U.,S. Supreme Court and other legal topics. In the summer of 2023 Tom taught a course about the trial of Robert Bowers, who in August of 2023 was convicted and sentenced to death for murdering eleven worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018. Tom obtained a B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1977 and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1980.
The Summit was more than empty words – it made clear that a solution-driven approach is the only way to fight hate. That’s why the working group activities, which are results driven are going to be critical in defeating violent extremism. The Summit brought together the best minds in government, private sector, academia, and civil society. Being surrounded by these experts sparked new ideas – some of which I’ve already implemented or have written about.
