Andrew L. Thompson joined Lane & Waterman in 2024. Andrew primarily specializes in civil defense litigation, encompassing a diverse array of matters such as tax, employment, labor, estate litigation, and other commercial litigation.

Andrew earned his Bachelor of Arts from Drake University where he studied Political Science as well as Law, Politics, and Society. Subsequently, he pursued his Juris Doctorate from The University of Iowa College of Law. During his time at Iowa, he picked up an interest in tax law and litigation, culminating in the attainment of his Juris Doctorate, with distinction. Additionally, Andrew served as the Senior Managing Editor for the 27th Volume of the Journal of Gender, Race, and Justice.

Before practicing, Andrew spent his 2023 summer at Lane & Waterman as a Summer Associate and before that, he experienced the rapid-fire litigation of the criminal courtroom with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Phoenix, Arizona.

Andrew is excited to return to the Quad Cities as a Davenport native and proud graduate of Davenport Central High School. Andrew is a long-distance running enthusiast having run competitively in the past, completed the Bix in a personal record of forty minutes, and plans to begin running marathons.

Can you tell us a little about your background and what led you to pursue a career in law?
I grew up in the Quad Cities, and for much of high school, I was set on becoming an engineer. I had even enrolled at Iowa State University and paid my housing deposit. However, during my senior year, everything shifted when I took a government class. That class opened my eyes to the pivotal role law plays in everyday life, shaping my perspective entirely. A turning point came when the Iowa Supreme Court visited my high school. I attended oral arguments and had the chance to meet the advocates, which solidified my decision to pursue law instead.

I went on to study Law, Politics, and Society, along with Political Science, at Drake University. These programs emphasized the interconnectedness of legal, political, and societal structures, and how changes in one can influence the others. My experiences at Drake, particularly with the Mock Trial team, reinforced my belief in the power of law to make a meaningful difference in communities. That realization was exactly what I sought in a career and drove me to fully commit to law school.

What was your favorite class in law school?
My favorite class in law school was Corporate and Partnership Tax. While Basic Federal Income Tax introduced me to the fundamentals, Corporate and Partnership Tax presented a higher level of complexity, making it even more satisfying when everything clicked at the end of the semester. Learning tax law is like assembling a puzzle—at first, all the pieces seem unrelated, but with each passing week, more details come into focus. By the end, what initially appeared chaotic forms a thoughtful, intricate picture. Unlike other courses, where topics can feel more isolated, tax law is deeply interconnected. As you take more classes, you begin to see relationships and patterns that weren’t visible at first.

What drew you to Lane & Waterman and why did you decide to join the firm?
When choosing a firm, two things were most important to me: the opportunity to explore a variety of practice areas and finding a group of colleagues I could see myself working with for the next 20 to 30 years. At Lane & Waterman, I’ve had the chance to dive into many different areas of law, even discovering new interests I hadn’t anticipated. Just as importantly, I found a sense of camaraderie among the attorneys here that really resonated with me. Everyone works together seamlessly, and that collaborative atmosphere made me confident that Lane & Waterman was the right fit.

What aspects of your work are you most excited about in the coming months?
I am excited to continue to try out new areas of law as I grow my own practice and start to take on more responsibilities. I have already had the chance to begin practicing after being sworn in to the Iowa bar, and the opportunity to use my education to make a tangible difference in people’s lives has been exactly what I had hoped for when I set out to go to law school in the first place.

What is something that we would not guess about you?
I love to run long distances starting in high school when I joined cross country. In college I ran two marathons by myself, including my first marathon I ran completely unplanned and unassisted one Saturday morning when I decided on a whim to make my long run 12 miles longer. Since then, I decided to start training for formal marathons in my 3L year so that I could begin running them regularly once I graduated. Now, I have signed up for two marathons this fall in Iowa and plan on doing as many as I can I as try to qualify for other marathons like the Boston, Chicago, and New York City Marathons. While everyone talks about the runners high, my favorite part on some early morning long runs is watching the sun come up and relaxing to my favorite podcasts. 

Welcome Andrew!