Karl Thompson

Karl Thompson has held senior leadership positions in both the White House and the U.S. Department of Justice. From 2022 to 2025, he served as Deputy Counsel to the President, leading a team that provided legal advice to the President and senior presidential advisors on a wide range of domestic policy issues. During the Obama Administration, Karl served for nearly three years as head of the Office of Legal Counsel, providing written opinions and informal advice on a wide range of questions related to the operation of the federal government. Between stints in the government, Karl has worked in private practice, including as a Partner in the Issues and Appeals group at Jones Day and as Counsel at O’Melveny & Myers. Karl previously clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge David Tatel of the D.C. Circuit. Karl graduated from the University of Chicago Law School with High Honors in 2000, and also holds a PhD in Political Theory from the University of Cambridge and a B.A. in physics from Harvard University.