Until 1983, Thomas specialised in commercial and maritime law in England. He was Treasury Counsel for the Ministry of Defence and Royal Navy as a junior and advised on the 'Torrey Canyon' casualty. He acted for the Tribunal at several maritime inquiries and an inquiry into an aircraft crash near Heathrow.[1]
In silk, Thomas appeared as counsel before tribunals in England (including the House of Lords and Privy Council), Singapore, Hong Kong, New York and Lisbon. He sat as Chairman of Boards of Investigation appointed by the UK government and by the Liberian government into shipping casualties.[1]
After finishing his term as Attorney General, Thomas recommenced private practice at the bar in England and Hong Kong, and established himself as a leading advocate. He was a member of Temple Chambers, Hong Kong.[1]
Before his retirement he specialised in appellate advocacy before the Court of Final Appeal or Court of Appeal and cases of judicial review, but stopped undertaking trial work at first instance, either civil or criminal.[1]
He argued in cases on the government's behalf in 2005[5] and 2009.[6]
Retirement
Thomas retired from practice at the end of 2013. His last court hearing was in the Hong Kong Court of Appeal in the case of Re Mably. The Court of Appeal in their judgment thanked Thomas for his service to Hong Kong as follows:
We were told that this is the last case in which Mr Thomas would appear in court as counsel. In the circumstances, we consider it appropriate to join Mr Shieh and Mr Jat in paying tribute to Mr Thomas’ contribution to the healthy growth and development of the Hong Kong Bar when he served as the Attorney General of Hong Kong and thereafter as an eminent silk in the local Bar.[7]
Personal life
Thomas has been married three times. By his first wife, Jane Lena Mary, he has four children; David Francis Cardigan born on 16 April 1960;[8] Sian Katharine Mary born on 22 January 1962, Daniel Michael Winston born on 30 January 1965, and Rachel Fiona born on 31 July 1969.[9]
^Wong, Albert (14 April 2005). "Time against CE review". The Standard. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2011. In what appears to be an attempt to avert a face-off with the court, senior counsel for the government, Michael Thomas, praised the good intentions of Chan's application and insisted they had no objections to granting the judicial review. '`
^Lau, Nickkita (24 February 2009). "Prison-vote suspension appeal put on hold". The Standard. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2011. Senior Counsel Michael Thomas, for the government, argued that although third parties may still launch proceedings to challenge the law during the suspension period, Cheung's judgment had already set a precedent, so someone seeking judicial reviews could not use the same ground for complaints as the three applicants.
^Re Mably, CACV 173/2013, Yeung VP, Lam and Lunn JJA