Karima Tawfik Thompson

How Karima Helps Clients

Karima T. Thompson is an all-around litigator based in Buchanan's Washington, D.C., office. Karima represents clients including technology and life sciences companies, banks, and private individuals in civil and criminal matters in United States courts.  Karima regularly handles matters in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (the "Rocket Docket"), and the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, among other courts. Karima has defended clients in COVID-19 litigation across the country and conducted extensive research and brief-writing on the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act's (PREP Act) provisions for immunity from liability. She also represents clients before the Department of Justice, Department of State, Department of Commerce, and other governmental agencies, and has experience navigating multijurisdictional disputes and those involving foreign nationals. Karima approaches writing her briefs with attention to detail to deliver well-researched and well-reasoned arguments to the Court. Her briefs have secured significant victories for her clients, including dismissals at early stages of litigation.

Karima’s approach to representing clients is informed by her experience working for the federal judiciary. From 2016 to 2017, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Hilda G. Tagle of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, where she oversaw the trial processes and ultimate disposition of cases in Houston and along the United States-Mexico border, including passport revocation, criminal smuggling, employment law, tort, and class action cases.

Karima graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School and magna cum laude from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She is fluent in French and conversational in Arabic. 

What Clients Can Expect

Karima is thorough in her representation and communicates with clients on a regular basis to ensure that they are kept fully informed of developments at each stage of litigation. 

Proof Points

• Represent two multinational pharmaceutical companies in pending antitrust and patent litigation.
• Represented bank in commercial defense in the Eastern District of Virginia and successfully secured dismissal of complaint.
• Represented client in multimillion dollar breach of contract action in federal court.
• Represented individual client facing charges of conspiracy, trafficking in counterfeit drugs, and money laundering in criminal proceeding in the Eastern District of Texas and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Represented individual client facing money laundering charges in District of Puerto Rico.
• Represented healthcare client in Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) litigation concerning COVID-19 liability in Central District of California and Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
• Advised senior care facilities and healthcare companies on evolving federal and state COVID-19 vaccination requirements across over twenty state locations.
• Counsel to educational loan services provider in breach of contract matter in D.C. courts.
• Wrote sections of amicus brief for United States Supreme Court in class action lawsuit on violations of the Stored Communications Act, cited by two Supreme Court Justices during oral argument.
• Represented multinational supermarket chain in successfully settling a garnishment matter in Virginia state court without need for court intervention.
• Advised U.S. companies on export controls and economic sanctions laws and regulations, including OFAC sanctions programs.