G. Mark Thompson

President & CEO
Chairman, Executive Committee
Shareholder

    As President and CEO of Marshall Dennehey, Mark is responsible for the day-to-day management and business strategy of the firm which consists of 500 attorneys operating out of 19 offices throughout Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Ohio and Florida. He was elected to the position in December of 2017 after serving more than three years on the Executive Committee and a decade on the Board of Directors. He succeeded Tom Brophy who served in the role for 13 years.

    Mark is joined by a management team comprised of two other senior executives, a Board of Directors, managing attorneys from every office, practice group supervisors, administrative directors and over 1,000 employees who combine their talents to develop and implement the strategies and achieve the objectives of the firm and its clients.

    Prior to moving to the firm's Philadelphia headquarters in 2014, Mark also served as the regional managing attorney for its four Florida offices. A Florida native, it was there he built a reputation as a "go to" attorney advising Fortune 500 clients in high profile, high exposure and often crisis  situations. During his career he has handled matters that attracted international media attention, are the subject of books, a documentary film and in one instance a hearing before the US House of Representatives in Washington DC, at which Mark represented one of the corporations testifying.

    Mark has more than 30 years of experience in the legal profession, is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubble, was recognized in 2006, 2007, 2013 and 2014 as a Florida Super Lawyer and in 2012 as one of Florida's Legal Elite by Florida Trend magazine. He is admitted to practice before the Florida Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He has tried cases in county, circuit, and federal courts and argued before the District Courts of Appeal. In 2012 he also became licensed to practice in Pennsylvania.

    Prior to attending law school, Mark spent two years working as an insurance adjuster. The experience continues to inform his understanding of the critical needs of claims professionals.

    His civic activities include serving on the Board of Directors of Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia, a legal aid organization assisting the disadvantaged, whose north Philadelphia clinic was started and is staffed every month by Mark and his colleagues from Marshall Dennehey. Mark also has served on the Grants Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation.

    Significant Representative Matters

    Defended a corporation and obtained summary judgments in multiple federal lawsuits alleging sponsorship, production, distribution and sale of videos depicting plaintiffs' underage participation in various spring break contests.

    Defended a manufacturer and obtained satisfactory confidential resolution of claims brought by 51 factory employees alleging toxic exposure.

    Defended a state agency and obtained defense verdict in wrongful death trial alleging inadequate traffic control.

    Defended a major insurer and obtained defense verdict in trial brought by owner of an oddities museum whose collection and building was completely destroyed by fire.

    Defended a tourist destination and obtained summary judgment in a negligence action brought by a contracted performer rendered quadriplegic as a result of an accident during a gymnastic slam dunk exhibition.

    Defended a company and obtained defense verdict on appeal in lawsuit alleging bottle "exploded" while being handled by plaintiff.

    Defended a tourist destination and obtained defense verdict in trial alleging inadequate slip resistance of drainage grates.

    Defended and settled numerous lawsuits involving tractor trailer rollovers allegedly caused by improper loading of cargo.

    For nearly 20 years, defended theme parks and tourist destinations throughout Florida in hundreds of cases involving amusement rides, wild animals, negligent security, E-coli outbreaks, slip and falls, defamation, food poisoning, false imprisonment and matters of intellectual property.

    Representative Cases

    Anheuser-Busch, Inc. v. Lenz, 669 So.2d 271 (Fla. 5th DCA 1996)

    Becton v. Metal Container Corp., 856 So.2d 982 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003)

    Jordan v. Sea World of Florida, Inc., 938 So.2d 991 (Fla. 5th DCA 2006)

    Badillo v. Anheuser-Busch, 19 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. D 641 (M.D. Fla. 2006)

    Classes/Seminars Taught

    The Best Offense is a Good Defense: Managing Liability Claims in Today's Litigious Environment, Business Insurance Webinar, August 12, 2015

    The Claim Management Link: Interplay Between Risk Tolerance, Operational Structure, Litigation and Claim Outcomes, CLM Annual Conference, March 2015

    Florida Premises Liability - Investigation and Defense

    Florida Liquor Liability

    Spoliation of Evidence

    Published Works

    "Experience Is the Best Teacher for Lateral Moves," The Legal Intelligencer, Top Laterals Supplement, February 24, 2015

    "Protective Orders: Sword and Shield in the War of Discovery," 12:3 The American Journal of Trial Advocacy, Summer 1989

    Admissions
    Florida
    1989
    U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida
    1990
    U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
    1998
    Pennsylvania
    2012
    Supreme Court of the United States
    Education
    Cumberland School of Law of Samford University (J.D., 1989)
    University of Florida (B.A., 1984)
    Honors & awards
    Florida Super Lawyers
    2006-2007, 2013-2014
    Florida Trend Magazine's Florida Legal Elite, 2012
    Pennsylvania Super Lawyers
    2018-2022
    Associations & memberships
    Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
    Defense Research Institute
    International Amusement & Leisure Defense Association
    International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA)
    Orange County Bar Association
    Year joined
    2001