Thomas A. Mauet

Thomas Anton Mauet of Tucson, Arizona, passed away on July 28, 2026 at the age of 81. He was a beloved husband, father, legal scholar, author, and educator whose teaching transformed trial advocacy and influenced generations of lawyers, judges, and legal educators around the world. Born on January 8, 1945, in Rendsburg, Germany, Tom immigrated to the United States with his family in 1950. He grew up in Ballston Lake, New York, where he attended the Albany Academy and excelled in academics and lettered in wrestling and tennis. He studied history and government at Dartmouth College before earning a law degree from Northwestern University.  

Following law school, Tom spent a decade in Chicago as a litigator and prosecutor with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office. While practicing law, Tom concluded that law schools did too little to prepare students for the realities of the courtroom. He began teaching trial advocacy at Chicago law schools, teaching Continuing Legal Education programs for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, and writing the practical textbook he wished he’d had as a student. Published in 1980, Fundamentals of Trial Techniques quickly became the leading text in the field. Rather than treating advocacy as abstract theory, it broke litigation into hands-on skills that students could practice. Over his career, he authored seven influential litigation textbooks, which transformed the teaching of trial advocacy by combining legal theory with useful courtroom skills. 

Also in 1980, Tom joined the faculty of the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law where he led its trial advocacy program to national recognition. His classes were rigorous, pragmatic, and filled with humor, and he won several teaching awards. He also continued to teach Continuing Legal Education programs across the nation each year for more than 35 years. His expertise led to appointments as an Arizona Superior Court Judge pro tem, the Howrey Professor of Trial Advocacy at George Washington University, and visiting faculty positions at Harvard Law School and Washington University. Tom remained a beloved professor at Arizona Law for over 40 years, until his retirement in 2023. In recognition of his lasting impact on legal education, Arizona Law renamed the program he led the Thomas Mauet Advocacy Program. 

Tom grew up playing classical music with his family, and was known to have the local classical music station playing in his office at all times, except when he was playing the violin himself. Outside the classroom, Tom was a lifelong athlete and outdoorsman. He loved the Sonoran desert and was an avid hiker. Tom also enjoyed long road trips as well as international travel, and he approached planning the perfect trip with the same meticulous care he brought to preparing a trial. Tom and his wife, Gloria, took trips on six continents together. In quieter moments, Tom was a voracious reader and enjoyed spending time with his cats. However, there was nothing he enjoyed more than sharing stories over dinner with family and friends.

Tom is survived by his beloved wife, Gloria Torres Mauet; his daughters, Sarah Mauet (Chris Richards) of Tucson and Jennifer Mauet Raczkowski (Mark) of Phoenix; his grandchildren, Nathan and Layla Raczkowski; his sister, Anette Mauet-Oberle (Carl Friedrich) of Tübingen, Germany; and a nephew and nieces, Ferdinand Oberle, Clara Oberle, and Anna Oberle-Brill, and extended family.

Tom's influence extends far beyond the books he wrote and the awards he received. It lives on in the generations of lawyers and judges whose lives and careers were enriched by his teaching and mentorship.

A celebration of Tom's life will be held at a later date. Check back for more information.