David Thompson

Partner, Thompson & Horton LLP, Houston, TX

David Thompson represents public school districts, junior colleges and other educational entities in the Gulf Coast area and across Texas. He is a frequent speaker on a variety of school law subjects at legal and educational meetings. He is a former member of the Board of Directors for the NSBA Council of School Attorneys, a national organization of over 3,000 attorneys who represent public school districts.

Mr. Thompson currently represents 84 public school districts that educate over 1.8 million students in the Texas Taxpayer and Student Fairness Coalition, et al vs. Williams et al, lawsuit challenging the current public school finance system as being in violation of the Texas Constitution.

Prior to the current school finance lawsuit, Mr. Thompson represented 263 school districts in Edgewood ISD vs. Meno (Edgewood IV), challenging the constitutionality of the Texas public school finance system. Mr. Thompson represented the Plaintiffs in West Orange-Cove vs. Neeley, challenging the constitutionality of the Texas Public School System, and successfully argued before the Supreme Court of Texas that the system violated the Texas Constitution.

Mr. Thompson serves as legislative counsel for the Texas Association of School Administrators, Fast Growth School Coalition, Houston Independent School District, other school districts and education organizations, and has been actively involved in most legislative activities affecting public education in the past 20 years.

Previously, Mr. Thompson worked for the Public Education Committee of the Texas House of Representatives, as briefing attorney for the Ninth Court of Appeals, as associate executive director of the Texas Association of School Boards, and as General Counsel for the Texas Education Agency. He also has been an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law, University of Houston – Clear Lake, Texas A&M University, and the University of Houston – Main Campus.

Mr. Thompson was General Counsel for the Texas Education Agency for five years and previously served as Associate Executive Director and Director of Governmental Relations for the Texas Association of School Boards. In addition to his expertise concerning the general areas of school law listed above, Mr. Thompson has extensive experience in school finance matters, legislation, board/superintendent relations, contracts, conflicts of interest, nepotism, student residency and attendance, competitive bidding, school board policy development, and employment matters. Also, he regularly assists school boards in searches for superintendents.

Mr. Thompson is a partner in the firm Thompson & Horton LLP, and previously practiced law with Bracewell & Giuliani, one of the oldest and most prominent law firms in Texas.