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David M. Thompson

Associate Attorney

David M. Thompson is an Associate Attorney on Burnett Wilson Law’s estate planning team. David is also the Director of Marketing for the firm. Prior to joining the firm, David was a sole practitioner in Omaha whose practice focused on guardianships and conservatorships, Medicaid planning, veterans’ benefits, and end-of-life planning.

David first came to the Omaha area as a child when his father, an Air Force officer, was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue. David earned his B.A. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with distinction, then attended Oxford University on a Marshall Scholarship. After returning to the United States, David moved to Chicago where he completed his doctoral studies at the University of Chicago.

Having worked for law firms during both college and graduate school, David made the decision to attend law school himself at the age of thirty-four. He earned his J.D. at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Northwestern University Law Review. After practicing law at a large Chicago firm, fundraising for non-profit organizations, and working as a higher education administrator, David returned to Omaha in 2013 to care for his aging parents.

When he’s not working, David can be found perusing Omaha’s art galleries and enjoying the many fine restaurants that have popped up in the years since he left town. David has served on the board of Restoration Exchange Omaha and the Bellevue Citizens Complete Street Advisory Panel, as well as participating in the Citizens’ Academy for Omaha’s Future. He also serves on a pro bono basis as guardian for several unrepresented, low-income senior citizens living in area nursing homes.

Awards
  • Nebraska State Bar Association
  • United States District Court, District of Nebraska
  • Illinois State Bar Association
Education

  • Northwestern University, Pritzker School of Law - J.D. University
    Chicago , IL 2000
  • University of Chicago - PhD, Comparative Literature University
    Chicago , IL 1997
  • University of Nebraska - B.A. with High Distinction University
    Lincoln , NE 1985
  • Oxford University - Master of Philosophy, English Studies University
    Oxford , UKI 1987
Publications
  • Helping Clients Plan for Long-Term Care 2018
  • Using Trusts When Planning for Medicaid 2018
  • Estate Planning for Farmers and Ranchers 2019
  • Legal and Financial Planning for Seniors 2019
  • Preying on the Graying: Financial Elder Abuse 2019
  • Legal Supports for Aging Adults: An Introduction to Elder Law 2019
  • Medicaid Planning: The Application Process, Appeals and Related 2019

Bar Admissions

  • Nebraska – 2012
  • Illinois – 2001

Publications

  • "A Form of Conversation: POLST and the Communications Approach to End-of-Life Decision Making," The Nebraska Lawyer, May/June 2016
  • "The Transcendent Dimensions of Private Places: Personhood and the Law in Lawrence v. Texas and Angels in America," Triquarterly 124 (2006)
  • "Point of Reference or Destination Kelly v. Arriba and the Future of Hyperlinking on the Internet," World E-Commerce and IP Report (April 2002)
  • "Seeking Registration and Staking a Claim in ICANN' s New Top-Level Domains," World E-Commerce and IP Report (June 2001)
  • Classicism," Comparative Literature 50 (Winter 1998)
  • Financial Tools for Adults with Disabilities,” Family Law Practice Manual, Nebraska State Bar Association, 2019
  • Nebraska’s NETO Program and Medical-Legal Dialogue in End-of-Life Planning,” The Nebraska Lawyer, May/June 2018

Classes & Seminars

  • Lawyers in the Classroom Program
    Ames Middle School, May 2008
  • Poetry, Law, and the End of Nature
    Humanities Day, University of Chicago, October 2007

David M. Thompson

  • Board Member, Restoration Exchange Omaha, 2013-2016
  • Founding Board Member, National Public Housing Museum, Chicago, Illinois
  • Certified Instructor, "Roots of Success" Environmental Literacy Curriculum
  • Board Member, Resource Center, 2007-2009
  • Board Member, 3Arts Foundation, 2007-2009
  • Academy for Omaha's Future, October-November 2014
  • Participant, Omaha Executive Institute, October 2013-March 2014
  • Judge, Jules H. Miner Moot Court Competition, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, February 2013