Get to Know: Brad Thomson

By Jo Mathis
Legal News

Brad Thomson grew up in Ann Arbor and graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2004. After graduation, Thomson lived in Honduras, Costa Rica and Mexico, where he taught English. In 2005, he launched his career in immigration as an Americorps Vista volunteer in Miami, assisting with refugee relocation. Thomson has gained experience working at four immigration law firms and in a law school immigration clinic, where his tasks exposed him to a diverse array of permanent resident and temporary visa applications.

Thomson has focused his knowledge on the fundamentals of immigration court proceedings. In 2017, he was a selected as a Rising Star in immigration by “Super Lawyers.” The Mexican Consulate in Detroit contracts Thompson to provide immigration legal representation for Mexican nationals throughout Michigan pursuant to Article 1(a) of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

Thomson is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and he founded the Washtenaw County Bar Association Immigration Law Section.

He is fluent in Spanish, and is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit.

Residence: Ann Arbor.

Favorite local hangouts: The gym, the Arb and Main Street.

Favorite websites: https://chuck-norris-jokes.com/

What is your most treasured material possession? Arrowheads my Grandpa found over the course of forty years farming his land near Battle Creek.

What is your happiest childhood memory? Getting crowd surfed in Michigan Stadium after beating the undefeated Buckeyes my senior year of undergrad.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? You can do better…

When you were considering law school, what was Plan B? Everyone always told me I should be a teacher. That is why I ignored them and went to law school.

What would surprise people about your job? Secretly, I really like most of the ICE government lawyers.

What do you wish someone would invent? A machine that could transport you into a painting or picture that would also allow you to transport back out once you got bored.

What has been your favorite year so far? 2007 was fun. I got to live in Mexico and start law school in Detroit.

Do you prefer email, text, or a phone call? If it’s Shakira contacting me, I’m cool with any of the three options.

When you look back into the past, what do you miss most? Michigan beating Ohio State.

What is your most typical mood? I’m usually pretty chill.

If you could have witnessed any event in history, what would it be? It would have been cool to land on the moon with Neil Armstrong.

What were you doing in your last selfie? Probably fake smiling.

Who is on your guest list for the ideal dinner party? Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Kimbo Slice, Mohamed Ali, John Carlos, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth and of course, Mr. T. The topic of discussion would be how the color of your skin affected who you are and what you do.

What question do you most often ask yourself? Why is the meaning of life hard to find when I own a dictionary.

If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would that be? Dr. Dre in the era of NWA.

What’s the most awe-inspiring place you’ve ever been? The redwood forest in Northern California.

What’s something you changed your mind about recently? I always assumed it was a riot in Detroit in 1967 but recently I changed my mind because it definitely was a rebellion, not a riot.

What is your proudest moment as a lawyer? When I was broker than broke, deciding to open up my own immigration law firm.

What word do you overuse? Te Amo, which means I love you in Spanish. I overuse it especially when talking to my son.

What is one thing you would like to learn to do? I would like to learn how to fly an airplane.

What is something most people don’t know about you? I am a huge nature dork. In seventh grade, I paid $1,000+ of my paper route money to attend a bird watching summer camp in the Arizona Mountains. 

What is the best advice you ever received? I’m third…God first, family and friends second and myself third.