Profilo
Charles Thompson serves as the Co-Chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Wage & Hour Class and Collective Action Litigation group. He focuses his practice on employment litigation and counseling representing clients through all phases of Class Actions and Single Plaintiff cases. Charles has wide-ranging experience litigating employment-related issues for public and private companies, having handled over 1,000 employment matters for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to Silicon Valley startups. He has tried employment, commercial, and professional liability cases to verdict and directed verdict, has litigated and appealed cases from California State Courts to the United States Supreme Court, and is a Fellow of the prestigious College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
Charles represents employers in wage and hour cases, as well as EEOC class actions, in state and federal courts across the United States and has broad experience appearing before the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, the Employment Development Department, and the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor.
In addition to his trial and counseling work, Charles serves as a private and judicial mediator and arbitrator, and has acted as a pro-tem judge upon request of the court. He has broad experience in binding arbitrations and trial. He has taught trial advocacy, diversity, employment and substance abuse to clients and industry organizations.
Throughout his career, Charles has been a champion for diversity and has served on the Executive Committee of the board of Directors for the Justice & Diversity Center of The Bar Association of San Francisco. He actively supports and promotes diversity efforts and collaborates with clients on diversity issues.
Concentrations
- Class Action
- Americans with Disabilities Act
- Sexual harassment
- Discrimination and wrongful termination matters
- Sexual assault
- Wage and hour
- Catastrophic cases
Competenze
Esperienze Professionali - Attività Accademiche
- Insurance. Won a three-week trial in San Francisco in February 2020 recovering $2.5m for a transportation client.
- Agribusiness. Defense of two class and collective class actions and PAGA actions on behalf of an agribusiness in Merced County for a high-profile client. Class size is 450 workers with 22 causes of action and PAGA.
- Food Service Company. Defense of two class and collective class actions and PAGA actions on behalf of a food service company in San Diego Superior Court. Class size is 400 workers.
- Telecom. Defended a class and collective class action and PAGA action for class of 200 with settlement after law and motion.
- Agribusiness. Defended a PAGA only action for large agribusiness with early mediation.°
- Hi-tech Defended a very large national class and collective class action and PAGA action. Resolved for five percent of exposure.°
- Cosmetic/Beauty Industry. Defended a class and collective class action and PAGA action for 300 workers. Settled for 10 percent of exposure.°
- Hi-Tech. Defended a class and collective class action and PAGA action. Resolved in mediation.°
- Steel Industry. Defended a class and collective class action and PAGA action with settlement post law and motion at seven percent of exposure.°
°The above representations were handled by Mr. Thompson prior to his joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
Riconoscimenti e Premi
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation - Labor & Employment, 2025
- Listed, The Legal 500 United States, Labor and Employment Disputes (Including Collective Actions): Defense, 2021-2024
- Listed, Benchmark Litigation, "Labor & Employment Star," 2020-2024
- Recognized, National Law Review, "Go-To Thought Leader," 2020
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Fellow, College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
- Six Sigma Greenbelt
- Member, American Health Lawyers Association, 2017-Present
- Vice Chair, Labor and Employment Practice Group, 2018-2021
- Member, Association of Corporate Council, 2004-Present
- Volunteer Arbitrator, San Francisco and Marin County Courts, 2000-Present
- Member, International Association of Defense Counsel, 2000-Present
- Member, Multinational Committee, 2000-2006
- Member, Employment Committee, 2000-Present
- Member, Risk and Insurance Management Society, 2000-2014
- Member, Professional Liability Underwriting Society, 2000-2012
- Member, Defense Research Institute, 2000-2010
- Member, Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada, 1995-2005
- Member, Board of Directors, 2000-2005
- Member, Bar Association of San Francisco, 1990-Present
- Executive Committee, Board Member, and Finance Committee Member, The Bar Association of San Francisco, 2021-Present
- Executive Committee & Board Member, Justice & Diversity Center 2018-2020
- Member, American Bar Association, 1989-Present
- Member, State Bar of California, 1989-Present
- Board Member, Labor and Employment Section, 1989-2018
Formazione
- Laurea magistrale in Giurisprudenza, Golden Gate University School of Law
- B.S., University of San Francisco
- California
News, Pubblicazioni, Convegni
Charles is a contributor to the GT L&E blog 