Andrea H. Thompson

Andrea Thompson helps employers comply with employment laws and reduce litigation risk. She defends clients in civil rights lawsuits, administrative charges, and employment-related disputes. Her focus includes claims of discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower actions, wage-and-hour matters, and workplace torts, such as wrongful termination. Andrea represents clients in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies.

Andrea’s clients range from healthcare organizations and educational institutions to nonprofits, public entities, and private sector companies in manufacturing, technology, forest products, and hospitality. With her extensive litigation experience, she conducts workplace investigations and provides strategic guidance on compliance and litigation prevention, helping clients navigate complex employment laws to create fair and productive workplaces.

Education Institutions

Andrea advises and defends K-12 schools and higher education institutions, focusing on student affairs, privacy, governance, and employment disputes involving faculty and staff. She helps educational clients uphold their missions and core values while ensuring legal compliance. Andrea has significant experience before the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and accrediting bodies, resolving enforcement actions and disputes with staff, faculty, administrators, and students. Her practical approach to compliance includes Title IX, the Clery Act, FERPA, the ADA, and Section 504, as well as student conduct, sexual misconduct, and disability policy development.

Education

University of Oregon School of Law, J.D., 2008; Order of the Coif

Portland State University, B.S., 2004, Sociology, summa cum laude

Admissions

Oregon

United States District Court for the District of Oregon

United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth and Fifth Circuits

Employment Law and Litigation

• Achieved summary judgment dismissal for Fortune 500 manufacturer in failure to accommodate, family leave, and disability discrimination lawsuit involving employer’s right to terminate an employee for making threats of violence in workplace, affirmed by Ninth Circuit.
• Successfully represented large North American forest products company in whistleblower administrative charge with simultaneous OSHA and DEQ enforcement actions.
• Obtained favorable resolution for Fortune 500 manufacturer in same-sex sexual harassment, workers’ compensation retaliation, protected medical leave retaliation, and wrongful termination lawsuit. 
• Achieved early summary judgment dismissal for high-tech manufacturer in wage-and-hour lawsuit involving discretionary incentive compensation and enforcement of employee separation agreement.
• Achieved dismissal of plaintiff’s Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd Frank Act whistleblower retaliation claims, affirmed on appeal before the Fifth Circuit

Health Care Industry

• Successfully resolved four Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) wage and hour enforcement actions against regional health care provider related to nurse staffing and meal and rest breaks.
• Successfully resolved dozens of patient complaints against licensed mental health treatment providers with multi-state licensing boards.
• Successfully defended health care provider in multimillion-dollar lawsuit alleging hostile work environment based on race, gender, and national origin discrimination; retaliation; negligent supervision; intentional infliction of emotional distress; family leave violations; and wage-and-hour violations.
• Achieved favorable pretrial settlement for large regional health care system in $7 million age and gender discrimination and wrongful termination lawsuit.
• Obtained favorable pretrial settlement in nurse practice act retaliation lawsuit.
• Achieved voluntary dismissal of lawsuit with zero-dollar settlement for large regional health care system in failure to accommodate disability discrimination claim.
• Obtained favorable resolution in advance of class certification in multistate collective action wage-and-hour lawsuit on behalf of assisted living and memory care centers.
• Successfully represented regional health care provider before Oregon Health Authority in nurse staffing law dispute, which avoided OHA enforcement action.

Education

• Achieved summary judgment dismissal for faith-based university in religious discrimination in hiring lawsuit, affirmed by court of appeal.
• Favorably resolved multi-student U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) complaint related to student housing accommodations and threatened litigation against private university.
• Achieved early dismissal and attorney fees award by anti-SLAPP motion in defamation claim brought against large public university and department chair by faculty member who was denied promotion.
• Achieved dismissal of federal civil rights and retaliation lawsuit filed by former medical resident against public university and 18 faculty and department administrators related to his dismissal from a residency program.
• Achieved dismissal of university President from lawsuit and dismissal of majority of claims at summary judgment for public university in federal action alleging section 1983 due process, equal protection, employment, contract, wage-and-hour, and tort claims.
• Successfully obtained multiple dismissals of OCR complaints alleging Title VI and Title IX violations related to scholarships, fellowships, affinity-based student spaces and housing. 
• Achieved favorable resolution of race discrimination lawsuit against private university brought by two Ph.D. students, who were dismissed from program.
• Obtained favorable resolution and dismissal of student’s disability accommodation lawsuit against university and individual faculty members. 
• Assisted with successful resolution of OCR complaint and threatened litigation against faith-based, private university in high-profile matter brought by transgender student related to public accommodation and disability issues.

Insights & Presentations

• Speaker, 2024 SHRM
• Speaker, “Working Effectively with In-House and Outside Counsel,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 22nd Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 2024
• Speaker, “Best Practices in Employee Separations, Including Reductions in Force,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 21st Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 2023
• Speaker, “What’s on Our Mind in 2023: Workplace Trends and Legal Updates,” Stoel Rives LLP webinar, February 2023
• Speaker, “Legal & Legislative Update,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 20th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 2022
• Speaker, “Privacy Considerations for Scholarship Providers,” National Scholarship Providers Association webinar, March 2022.
• Speaker, 2021 SHRM
• Presenter, “Investigations: 2020 Title IX Regulations,” The Alliance Webinar Series, June 2020
• Speaker, “Addressing Harassment in the Workplace,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 18th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, February 2020
• Speaker, “Oregon’s New Equal Pay Act,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 17th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, February 2019
• Speaker, “Issue Spotting for Higher Ed Institutions: It’s Not Scary When You Are Prepared,” Stoel Rives education seminar, October 2018
• Speaker, “Navigating the Modern Workforce,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 16th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, February 2018
• Speaker, “Conducting Effective Workplace Investigations,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 15th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 2017
• Speaker, “Effective Supervisory Practices,” Willamette Valley Higher Education HR Consortium Management Development Series, 2016–2017, 2013–2014
• Speaker, “Employee Classification Best Practices with an Update on the New Department of Labor Regulations,” Stoel Rives Breakfast Briefing Seminar, September 2016
• Speaker, “Effective Tips for Working with Outside Counsel,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 14th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 2016
• Speaker, “What You Need to Know About Off-Duty Conduct & Employee Discipline,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 13th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 2015
• Speaker, “Hot Topics & Legal Updates for HR Professionals in Higher Education,” Oregon College and University Professional Association for Human Resources Spring Conference, 2014
• Speaker, “Litigation 101: What Every HR Professional Should Know,” SHRM/Stoel Rives 12th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, March 2014

• Selected as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” (Oregon) by Chambers USA (Labor & Employment), Up and Coming, 2024
• Included in The Best Lawyers in America^® (Employment Law—Management), 2021–present
• Listed in Oregon Super Lawyers^® (Employment Litigation: Defense, Schools & Education), 2019–2020

• Multnomah Bar Association, Mentor of the Year, 2019

• Listed among Rising Stars (Employment Litigation: Defense, Schools & Education), Oregon Super Lawyers^®, 2012–2018
• Selected as a “Future Star” by Benchmark Litigation
• Stoel Rives Pro Bono Award, Recipient, 2009–2010, 2013

Professional

• Campaign for Equal Justice: Board of Directors, 2017–2022; Associates Committee, 2013–2016; Associates Committee Recognition, 2013
• Oregon State Bar Committees: Legal Services Program, 2014–2018, Former Chair; Pro Bono Committee, Former Member
• National Association of College and University Attorneys, Member
• Oregon State Bar and American Bar Associations, Litigation and Labor and Employment Sections, Member
• Oregon Association of Defense Counsel, Member
• Multnomah Bar Association, Mentor, Member
• Stoel Rives/SHRM Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference, Former Co-Chair

Civic

• Stoel Rives Pro Bono Night Clinic and U.S. District of Oregon and Ninth Circuit Pro Bono programs, Volunteer Attorney