James F. Thompson

Mr. Thompson’s practice focuses on representation of corporate clients in federal and state environmental litigation, insurance, compliance, and real property matters. He is actively involved in environmental insurance coverage analysis and litigation on behalf of policyholders. His experience includes insurance archeology and policy reconstruction. He also represents companies in connection with various real property and commercial transactions, as well as environmental cost recovery litigation in both federal and state courts. Among other things, he has assisted clients in obtaining financial benefits from Brownfields initiative programs, negotiated cleanup cost-cap and property transfer insurance coverage, and created innovative contracting solutions to enable Brownfields projects to succeed.

Mr. Thompson is a frequent lecturer on environmental and real property issues. He was an instructor in a course on the regulatory framework of environmental law at the University of California at Los Angeles. Before joining Lathrop & Gage, Mr. Thompson practiced environmental law at Parker, Milliken, Clark, O’Hara and Samuelian in Los Angeles, California, from 1990 to 1995.

A few recent projects and cases in which Mr. Thompson has been involved include:

• Managed and coordinated work of several attorneys and paralegals in complex, multi-million dollar litigation involving insurance coverage for environmental liabilities at more than 300 waste disposal sites across the country.
• Served as allocation counsel for a major oil company at the Ascon/Nesi Superfund Site in Huntington Beach, California.

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• Secured Brownfields grant money and insurance coverage for the $17 million Westside Business Park development and renovation project in Kansas City, Missouri.
• Successfully challenged the State of Missouri’s assessment of hazardous waste category taxes against several corporate clients.
• Facilitated environmental audits of cement manufacturing facilities in Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas.

Court Memberships

• California
• Kansas
• Missouri
• 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 Southern District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

Honors

• Order of the Coif
• Samuel Mellinger Scholarship, Leadership and Service Award
• Phi Delta Phi
• Legal Research and Writing Teaching Assistant
• Appellate Advocacy Teaching Assistant
• Articles Editor, Kansas Law Review, 1989-90

Professional Affiliations

• Propane Gas Defense Association
• American Bar Association, Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law Section
• Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Environmental Law Committee
• Beverly Hills Bar Association, Liaison between Environmental Law Section and Legislation Committee, 1991-1995
• Los Angeles County Bar Association, Environmental Law Section, 1990-1995
• Kansas City Brownfields Initiative, Steering Committee and Consultants’ Consortium
• American Arthritis Foundation, Board of Directors, 1995-1997

Publications

• Comment, “Spoliation of Evidence: A Troubling New Tort,” 37 U. Kan. L. Rev. 563 (1989)
• Co-author, “Environmental Insurance,” Appleman on Insurance Law and Practice, 2nd ed. Matthew Bender & Company, Inc., 2008

Presentations

• Speaker, Environmental Issues – Contaminated Property Transactions, National Business Institute, January 2012
• Speaker, Environmental Issues in Real Estate Transactions, National Business Institute, May 2009
• Speaker, Interpreting Coverage Under the Insurance Contract, Insurance Coverage Litigation Seminar, National Business Institute, June 2008
• Speaker, Real Estate Law:  Advanced Issues and Answers, National Business Institute, May 2008
• Speaker, Environmental Liabilities in Real Estate Transactions, National Business Institute, September 2007
• Speaker, Environmental Issues in Real Estate Transactions, Real Estate Law: Advanced Issues and Answers Seminar, National Business Institute, May 2007
• Panelist, The Do’s and Dont’s of Due Diligence: Applications to Commercial Real Estate Transactions, The Renaissance of Urban Development: Redefining Community Conference, Los Angeles, CA, May 2007
• Speaker, Environmental Issues in Real Estate Transactions, Real Estate Law: Advanced Issues and Answers Seminar, National Business Institute, July 2006
• Speaker, Environmental Issues in Real Estate Transactions, Real Estate Law: Advanced Issues and Answers Seminar, National Business Institute, June 2005
• Speaker, Environmental Issues in Real Estate Transactions, Advanced Real Estate Law in Kansas Seminar, National Business Institute, June 2004
• Panelist, Community Development Partnerships, Kansas City Distressed Properties Forum, June 2001
• Speaker, Permitting Process and Environmental Liabilities, Advanced Real Estate Law in Missouri Seminar, National Business Institute, September 2000
• Panelist, Brownfields Redevelopment: Westside Business Park, Kansas City Brownfields Initiative, November 1999
• Speaker, Trends in Brownfields Redevelopment, Environmental Health and Safety Conference, Associated Industries of Missouri, Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, May 1999
• Panelist, Westside Business Park, Kansas City Distressed Properties Forum, March 1999
• Speaker, Voluntary Cleanup and Brownfields Redevelopment, Environmental Seminar, St. Louis, Missouri, September 1998
• Panelist, Brownfields Redevelopment, University of Missouri-Kansas City, November 1998
• Speaker, Environmental Audits, Environmental Law for Corporate Counsel Program, American Corporate Counsel Association, October 1996
• Speaker, Permitting Process and Environmental Liabilities; Ethical Obligations - Dealing With Unrepresented Parties, Advanced Real Estate Law in Kansas, National Business Institute, September 1996
• Speaker, Medical Waste Regulation, EPA and Health Law Seminar, April 1996
• Speaker, Underground Storage Tanks, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Beverly Hills, California, May 1995
• Panelist, Insurance Coverage, Practical Tips for Handling an Environmental Case, Beverly Hills Bar Association, Beverly Hills, California, January 1995
• Speaker, Cleaning Up on Insurance Coverage for Environmental Liabilities, Regulatory Framework for Toxic and Hazardous Substances Program, Los Angeles, California, July 1994
• Speaker, Strategies to Maximize Cleanup Recoveries from Insurance Companies and State Funds, Tenth Annual Seminar on Hazardous Waste Management and the Law, Los Angeles, California, May 1994
• Speaker, Latest Developments on Environmental Insurance Coverage, Ninth Annual Seminar on Hazardous Waste Management and the Law, Los Angeles, California, May 1993