Peter Thompson

Peter Thompson is a Philadelphia immigration and criminal defense attorney with more than 25 years of trial and appellate experience. He represents individuals in immigration and criminal courts, handling matters that require careful preparation and an understanding of how the two fields intersect. His practice includes immigration representation, federal criminal defense, appeals, and international child abduction cases under the Hague Convention.

Peter earned a J.D. from Villanova University in 1998 and a B.A. from Villanova University in 1992. He also received a Master of Education from Widener University in 1994 and an LL.M. in Trial Advocacy from Temple University in 2004. As an honors graduate of Temple’s trial advocacy program, he developed advanced courtroom skills that support his work in complex immigration, criminal, and international law matters.

Peter joined the Defender Association of Philadelphia in 1999, representing children and adults as a public defender before working in its appellate unit. In 2008, he became director of the Defender’s Immigration Project, where immigration specialists and criminal trial attorneys advised noncitizen clients about the immigration consequences of charges and convictions. In 2010, he and his team contributed to an amicus brief in Padilla v. Kentucky. He also advises criminal defense attorneys on immigration consequences.

Peter Thompson serves on the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania as a court-appointed immigration expert. He has co-authored legal guides, taught at universities and law schools, and regularly lectures to lawyers and judges on immigration law, criminal defense, and trial advocacy. His work reflects an individualized approach to representation, particularly for clients facing overlapping immigration and criminal issues or Hague Convention proceedings involving allegations of improper child removal.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Thompson Law Advocates, P.C.
• Member, Pennsylvania Bar Association

Licensed State

• Pennsylvania

Education

• Temple University
  LLM in Trial Advocacy
• Villanova University
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Villanova University
  Bachelor of Arts
• Widener University
  Master of Education

Awards & Badges