He was born in Waynesboro, Tennessee and received a B.A. in Economics from Tulane University in 1971 and an M.A. in Economics from the University of Tennessee in 1977. He received his law degree, with honors, from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1982. He was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1982 and to the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth and Seventh Circuits, in 1985 and the Fourth Circuit in 1994. Mr. Thompson's practice is devoted to representing management in all phases of employment law, including labor law, discrimination, wage and hour, and immigration. He has lectured and conducted numerous seminars on employment law issues throughout the country. He is a member of the Labor Section of the Tennessee Bar Association.