Whitney A. Thompson
Associate
Overview
Whitney Thompson advises and defends clients throughout the supply chain in product liability and consumer protection litigation, including class action and mass tort disputes. Her practice spans the food and beverage, personal care, medical device, and technology platform industries, where she represents manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and online platforms.
Whitney skillfully navigates all phases of complex litigation, from pre-litigation demand responses and regulatory analysis through discovery, dispositive motions, and mediation and trial preparation. She also plays an active role in expert-related work by identifying and evaluating potential defense experts, performing due diligence analyses of plaintiff experts, and meeting with retained experts and their analysis team to develop case strategy.
Prior Experience
Before joining Faegre Drinker, Whitney was a business and tort litigation associate at a multinational law firm handling breach of contract claims, construction disputes, and alleged violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, False Claims Act, and Anti-Kickback Statute. At UCLA, she was a first-generation college student and served as a college counselor/mentor for underrepresented students in Los Angeles. At NYU School of Law, she was the admission chair of the Black Allied Law Students Association and worked with the admissions office to increase diversity of the student body. Whitney also studied international law at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China.
Personal Interests
Outside the office, Whitney enjoys dine-in movie theaters and playing Catan with friends.
Credentials
Bar Admissions
California
Court Admissions
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
Education
New York University School of Law
J.D. Journal of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law (staff editor) (2020)
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
B.A. in Political Science (2015)
Leadership & Community
Pro Bono
Whitney maintains an active pro bono practice, representing asylum seekers, survivors of human trafficking, and veterans. She helped obtain permanent residency for a client who fled to the United States from Cuba to escape political persecution. She also helped obtain vacatur relief for a client who was sex-trafficked in California and arrested for prostitution in 2015. The court agreed to vacate the client’s prior conviction and ordered law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the offense to seal and destroy the client’s arrest records.
Professional Associations
- National Womxn of Color Collective — Northeast Regional Chair, 2021-2024
- Young Black Lawyer’s Organizing Coalition — Member, 2020-present
- California Fair Political Practices Commission — Investigative Intern, 2015
Honors
- Faegre Drinker — Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2025
- New York University School of Law — Norman Ostrow Memorial Scholar, 2017-20; Dean’s Scholar, 2017-20; Vice Provost Initiative Scholar, 2008-15
No aspect of these recognitions has been approved by the highest court of any state.