MIKE THOMPSON
for Solano County Superior Court Judge
“The right experience, the right choice”
Mike Thompson was born and raised in Vallejo. He comes from a family of lawyers, educators, public servants, with deep roots in Solano County that spans over100 years.
EDUCATION
Mike was the Senior Class Vice President at Hogan High School in Vallejo and thereafter attended the University of San Francisco where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics. While enrolled at USF, Mike was a member of Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity, the Varsity Tennis Team, was voted both State and Western Regional Undergraduate of the Year by his peers, and was the recipient of a fellowship in Banking and Finance. Thereafter, he attended the University of California at Los Angeles where Mike was one of 28 students admitted into the prestigious nationally ranked J.D-M.B.A. program at UCLA Law School and UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Business where he graduated with a Juris Doctor and Masters Degree in Business Administration concentrating in business law, tax, accounting and finance.
While enrolled at UCLA, Mike was a Henry & Emma DeGarmo Scholarship recipient, co-founder of the J.D./M.B.A. “Executive Barristers,” assisted in the development and implementation of a complex management information software system for a prominent law firm to satisfy the requirements of my Master’s Thesis; had memberships in the tax law division of the Student Bar Association, Young Christian Lawyer’s Association and the National Association of Black Accountants; and was voted outstanding “MBA of the Year” by the National Black MBA Association, Los Angeles Chapter.
EMPLOYMENT
Prior to going into private law practice, Mike was employed as a Tax Auditor with the San Francisco office of the Department of the Treasury – Internal Revenue Service; a Law Clerk at several prominent Los Angeles law firms, including Spensley, Horn, Lubas & Jubas (tax and intellectual properties), Glendell, Rasckoff, Shapiro & Quitner (tax and corporate law), and IBM Corporate Litigation Department (anti-trust law); and a Tax Accountant with the International Accounting Firms of Coopers & Lybrand and Price Waterhouse & Company based in Los Angeles.
BUSINESS OWNERSHIP
Over the past four decades, Mike has owned and operated a consortium of business entities, including Esquire Realty and Investment Group (a real estate brokerage, investment, and property management firm); MAT Sports (representing athletes); The Law Office of Micheal A. Thompson, APC (founder and managing attorney); MAT Entertainment (artist management, concerts, promotions, special events); MAT Associates (a business consulting firm specializing in preparing business plans and procuring venture capital for minority vendors seeking licenses from the United States Olympic Organizing Committee; 324 Virginia Street Partners, LLC (owners of mixed-use commercial real estate); and Havana Sol Restaurant & Bar (an upscale Cuban restaurant & bar).
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Mike is one of the founders and longest serving Past President of the Solano County Black Lawyers Association and currently is, or have been, actively involved in community service organizations including the Consumer Attorneys of California, Vallejo Rotary Club, Los Angeles Bar Association, Solano County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, California Trial Lawyers Association, National Bar Association (Board of Governors/Treasurer), Vallejo Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Vallejo’s Central Core Restoration Corporation Board Member, Solano County Black Chamber of Commerce, California Bar Association, NAACP Economic Development Committee-Chair, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Vallejo Renaissance 2000 Steering Committee, Solano County Judicial Forum, Private Industry Council, Solano Workshop Services, West Angeles Church of God In Christ (General Counsel), Mount Calvary Baptist Church (General Counsel), American Boy Scouts Association, Lawyers in the Library Program, California Association of Black Lawyers, Charles Houston Bar Association, Manuel Wiley Bar Association, California Public Defenders Association, Solano Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, Bay Area Association of Real Estate Professionals, University of San Francisco & UCLA Alumni Association, Beverly Hills Association of Realtors MLS Member, Solano County Association of Realtors MLS Member, West Contra Costa Board of Realtors MLS Member, Eastridge Homeowners Association, and various private and non-profit corporations.
Mike was recognized as one of the “Outstanding Young Men in America” by the U.S. Jaycees and by the Continental of Omegas Boys & Girls Club for professional achievement; is a member of the Christian Businessmen’s Fellowship - Vallejo Chapter; taught labor law as an Adjunct Professor at Chapman University - Graduate MBA Program; was invited to participate on a panel to give investment tips and wealth building strategies at the Oakland Raiders Rookies camp; and also served as legal counsel to numerous non-profit organizations, real estate brokerages, mortgage companies, general contractors, private investors and corporations throughout the state.
LAW PRACTICE – DEDICATED TO HELPING RESIDENTS OF SOLANO COUNTY WITH THEIR LEGAL NEEDS
Mike has been serving the Solano County community as a highly successful Trial Lawyer since 1985. He is admitted to practice law before the United States Tax Court, United States District Court, United States District Court of Appeals, and all California State Courts. He wrote a number of business-related articles, including Syndication Strategies – American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Continuing Education Seminar; When is Incorporation Advisable, San Francisco Foghorn; Tax Tips for Professional Athletes, Nomo Newsletter.
Mike has also been a guest lecturer at the University of Iowa College of Law – Cleo Pre Law Program; Tax Reform Act Symposium hosted by Coopers & Lybrand, various business conferences, and was a NFL registered agent.
Mike was also a member of the Board of Governors of the National Bar Association (NBA) for eight years, the nation’s oldest and largest global network of African American Attorneys and Judges representing the interests of 67,000 lawyers, judges, law professors, and served as the Treasurer for three consecutive two-year terms. He has a Life Membership in the National Bar Institute, served on its Governing Board, and was Chair of the NBA Probate and Real Estate Section. In response to the real estate mortgage crisis in 2008, Mike organized and presented California State Bar approved Continuing Education Courses providing lawyers with legal and practical solutions to real estate foreclosures, loan modifications and defaults held at the NBA Annual Conferences in San Diego, Houston and Atlanta.
Mike has been an active Trial Lawyer in good standing with the California State Bar for over 39 years and have successfully represented (and defended) sports figures, entertainers, business owners, corporations, non-profit organizations, and individuals of all nationalities, including pro bono cases, throughout the State of California and have obtained a number of significant Multi-Million Dollar awards/settlements. He is among a select group of private attorneys in California who are also a licensed Real Estate Broker. His private law practice and substantial legal experience spans four decades and includes real estate (investments, sales, purchases, exchanges, unlawful detainers, HOA disputes, insurance claims, lease agreements), civil litigation (business and personal disputes), personal injury, medical malpractice, employment law, civil rights, wrongful death, business law, estate planning, wills & trusts, probate, family law, criminal defense, entertainment and sports law.
Mike has represented clients before the United States Bankruptcy Court, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, various Municipal and Superior Courts throughout California, California State Board of Equalization, Internal Revenue Service, Franchise Tax Board, California Department of Real Estate, Employment Development Department, Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control, Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians, and the Department of Motor Vehicle and have had approximately 100+ Mediations/Arbitrations, 400+ depositions, and appeared in over 2,500 + civil/criminal court hearings and related matters.
JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE
Mike served as a Judge Pro Tem on the Solano County Superior Court for 5 years where he adjudicated a variety small claims civil cases involving contract disputes, landlord-tenant issues, and related business matters. He also ran for, and came very close to winning, a county wide election for Solano County Superior Court Judge in June, 2010.
There are many challenges facing the Solano County Court (pro per litigants, equal access to the courts, the high costs of litigation, etc.), but one of the biggest challenges is making the best use of the court’s limited financial resources (due to budgetary constraints).
Judges and their support staff are being asked to do more with less financial resources available to them. One way to tackle that problem is to bring on Judges who have substantial broad-based legal experience, who can “hit the ground running,” and can preside over a variety of cases. As a metaphor, he liken himself to Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers, whose value to the team is his vast experience and ability to successfully play many different positions on the field.
I have no committee, I do not solicit or accept donations, and I pay for all of my campaign ads. I hope to earn your vote for Solano County Superior Court Judge, Department 15 on March 5, 2024. Thank you in advance.
