Independent-minded, diligent and results-oriented, Tom Gosse has established himself as one of Southern New Jersey's leading criminal-defense and civil trial attorneys. Since launching his own practice fifteen years ago, the 46-year-old Gosse has only reinforced a reputation he built early on as a serious, practical attorney with a hands-on approach to his craft - and a courtroom tenacity that other attorneys privately admire. The Berlin native grew up faster than most: He and his mother and two sisters lost their father to a fatal illness when Gosse was ten; he went on to excel at Camden Catholic High School, and later The Wharton School of Business at Penn. Gosse at first appeared groomed for an accounting career, but instead he went to Rutgers Law School - "I liked the way that a trial attorney contributes to society and to people's lives." In his mid 20s he became an assistant prosecutor in the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. Already at home, Gosse built on that familiarity - and became an effective presence in the area's court system, combining a solid grasp of the law with a street-wise approach many accomplished attorneys never acquire. Three years later he was recruited by Archer & Greiner in Haddonfield, where he spent three years as a litigator. By the late 1980s - in his early 30s - Gosse was confident enough to launch his own practice, which increasingly has focused on criminal work. His practice today reflects his broad courtroom skills: He handles all manner of civil claims and criminal offenses, from DUI charges to violent crimes and drug offenses. Still youthful and energetic (he was a bachelor until his late 30s and is now the proud father of two) Gosse makes good use of technology (his web site, gosselaw.com, stands out as clean and informative) - and has a better understanding than most attorneys the impact new technology is having on society. He's handled several cases involving Internet crime, for instance, and he argued in a high-profile case on the admission of DNA as evidence in a homicide. He recently acquired the spacious Victorian on White Horse Pike in Haddon Heights that's been his home office for the last decade. Known for his a big caseload - "I'm either at the courthouse or in my car" - Gosse is also busy with his wife Kathleen Delaney raising their two children.