Mr Thomas, who is based in the firm's Washington, DC office, will begin his term beginning 1 August. He has been acting as an interim  since last October when Gregory Jordan left Reed Smith to become executive vice president and general counsel of PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Mr Thomas  beat John Martini, a partner based in the firm's Philadelphia, PA office, for the position. Joining Reed Smith in 1999, the new managing partner  was former chair of the  firmwide litigation department. In a prepared statement, Mr Thomas said the firm will move forward together to meet the needs of their clients around the world.' Sources: The Lawyer and Pittsburgh Business Times