Upon receiving his Bachelor’s degree from R.P.I., Mr. Petrus was employed as a refinery metallurgist for Standard Oil of Ohio. He later worked for General Electric, Turbine Division, as a research engineer in the development of materials for the propulsion systems of nuclear submarines, and for Pacific Resources, Inc. in Hawaii as an alternative energy systems design engineer.

Mr. Petrus received his law degree (J.D. 1987) from the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaii. He was an Associate Editor of the University of Hawaii Law Review (1987). Mr. Petrus was admitted to the state and federal bars of Hawaii in 1987.

Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Petrus accepted an appointment as law clerk to Senior United States District Court Judge Samuel P. King in Honolulu, Hawaii. After completion of his clerkship in 1988, Mr. Petrus worked for two prominent Honolulu law firms where he was primarily involved in construction, product liability and commercial litigation, and insurance coverage. Mr. Petrus has represented developers, design professionals, contractors, material and equipment suppliers, sureties and insurers in design, construction, product, and insurance related matters.

Mr. Petrus and Michael D. Tom formed the Tom & Petrus law firm, n.k.a. Tom Petrus & Miller, LLLC, in 1994. Mr. Petrus’ practice continues to concentrate primarily in construction law and litigation, products liability litigation, and insurance coverage matters.

Mr. Petrus is the author of Decentralized Power Generation: Alternative Energy Exemption from State Public Utility Regulation, 8 Univ. of Hawaii Law Review 1986) and the co-author of Architect-Engineer Liability Under Hawaii Law (Cambridge Institute 1989). He has also written an article concerning the statutes of limitation and repose applicable to construction which was published in the January 1995 edition of Hawaii Pacific Architecture.