Jacki Thompson represents management in a wide range of employment matters, with particular expertise in labor relations in the airline and healthcare industries.

Jacki guides clients through all facets of labor law.  As a member of the firm's Airline Group, she assists both airlines and airline carrier service providers in grievance resolution matters, including grievance arbitrations and mediation. She has also successfully defended multiple AIR21 cases for her airline clients. In addition, Jacki negotiates contracts under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the Railway Labor Act (RLA) and represents management in union matters before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the National Mediation Board (NMB). She handles collective bargaining negotiations and unfair labor practice cases before the National Labor Relations Board, and advises employers on legal issues related to union campaigns and picketing. 

Jacki also defends employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), various state agencies, and in state and federal courts against claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, among other things. In addition, Jacki counsels employers on employee terminations, how to avoid/resolve labor and employment disputes and litigation, Title VII, FMLA, FLSA, and ADA compliance as well as other issues.

In addition to the airline and healthcare industries, Jacki has a special interest in charter schools and represents the first unionized charter school in Washington, DC. Her passions include the theater and animals. She counsels one of the nation’s largest performing arts centers on employment matters. With a Master’s degree in Zoology, Jacki spent time in Kenya working on a large-animal conservation project.

During law school, Jacki was a member of The George Washington Journal of Energy and Environmental Law and was a student member of The George Washington Law School Academic Integrity Committee.

Honors & Awards
  • "Best Lawyers in America" Labor and Employment Law - Litigation (2023 - 2024)
  • "Best Lawyers in America": Ones to Watch - Labor and Employment Law - Management and
    Litigation - Labor and Employment (2022)
  • "Washington, DC Rising Stars," Super Lawyers magazine (2016 - 2022)

Screen Reader Content

Jacki Thompson - Rising Star Widget

Screen Reader Content

Jacki Thompson - Best Lawyers 2025 Widget

  • Successfully defended airline clients before the Department of Labor/OSHA that have been served with complaints filed under the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR21)
  • Represented clients in union election campaigns without any labor disruption
  • Negotiated multiple labor agreements under the RLA and the NLRA within clients’ economic targets and without labor disruption
  • Achieved favorable decisions in grievance arbitrations involving employee terminations and contract interpretations
  • Successfully defended a claim for wrongful discharge in violation of public policy before the Virginia Supreme Court
  • Achieved favorable decisions in age, disability, race, sex discrimination, and retaliation claims, including summary judgment granted on Title VII, ADEA, and DCHRA claims  
  • Co-authored amicus brief for U.S. Supreme Court in seminal employment law case
View More
Education
  • George Washington University Law School
    J.D., 2011
  • Michigan State University
    Zoology, M.S., 2004
  • College of Charleston
    Psychology, B.S., 1996
Memberships
  • Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia
Bar Admissions
  • District of Columbia
  • South Carolina
  • Virginia
Court Admissions
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia