Anthony C. Thompson

Anthony Thompson is a Professor of Clinical Law, Emeritus, at New York University School of Law. He was the Founding Faculty Director of the Center on Race Inequality and the Law at New York University School of Law.

Professor Thompson served as a member of the NYU Law faculty for 25 years and taught courses in criminal justice, civil litigation and leadership. His research and writing examine many of the most pressing issues in the criminal legal system. Professor Thompson is also an educator with the Duke Corporate Education Global Educator Network and has provided executive education for the past 15 years to Fortune 100 and Global 100 companies focusing on leadership and strategy execution.

Professor Thompson has received numerous prizes for his teaching, including the NYU Distinguished Teaching Award, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Faculty Award, which recognizes teaching excellence, leadership, social justice activism, and community-building, and the Law School’s Podell Distinguished Teaching Award.

Professor Thompson is the author of numerous books and articles including "Dangerous Leaders," which explores the roles of lawyers as leaders and the type of preparation that law students and lawyers need to be effective leaders. He is also the co-author of "A Perilous Path," where he engages in a candid conversation about race, law and the future of America, with some of the key legal minds of our time, Sherrilyn Ifill, Loretta Lynch and Bryan Stevenson. Most recently he is co-editor of "Progressive Prosecution: Race and Reform in Criminal Justice."

Prior to his appointment to the NYU faculty, Professor Thompson was in private practice in Richmond, California where he handled criminal, civil, and entertainment matters. Before opening his own practice, he served for nine years as a Deputy Public Defender in Contra Costa County California. He has served on a number of non-profit Boards of Directors and also serves as an executive coach. Professor Thompson received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.S. Ed. from Northwestern University.