By Special to the Daily World
ATHENS, Ga. – Larry D. Thompson, former deputy attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice and current senior vice president of government affairs, general counsel and secretary for PepsiCo, has joined the University of Georgia School of Law as a visiting professor this spring. Thompson will teach a course titled, “Corporate Responsibility.”
“We are thrilled Thompson has returned to Georgia Law this semester,” said Georgia Law Dean Rebecca H. White. “He is one of the nation’s finest lawyers, and for our students to be able to take a course from Thompson is an incredible opportunity for them. He is an outstanding addition to our faculty.”
No stranger to UGA, Thompson has been a visiting professor on three different occasions and a guest lecturer several times since 2001; in addition, he has delivered the school’s commencement address. While teaching a course on white collar crime at the law school during spring 2001, Thompson was confirmed as the second in command at the Justice Department.
As deputy attorney general, a post he held from 2001 to 2003, Thompson supervised the overall operations of the DOJ and led its National Security Coordination Council, the Corporate Fraud Task Force and the Enron investigation.
In 2004, Thompson became responsible for the worldwide legal function of PepsiCo, one of the largest global convenience food and beverage companies. In addition, he oversees its government affairs organization and The PepsiCo Foundation.
Previously, he worked as a partner in the Atlanta office of King & Spalding and served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, where he directed the Southeastern Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Thompson has received a variety of accolades for his work throughout the years, including the Edmund Jennings Randolph Award for outstanding contributions to the accomplishment of the Department of Justice’s mission and the Federal Bar Association’s Outstanding Litigator Award. He also has served as a Senior Fellow with The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.
Thompson earned his bachelor’s degree from Culver-Stockton College, his master’s from Michigan State University and his law degree from the University of Michigan.
Other visiting professors Georgia Law is hosting this spring include Slate magazine’s Dahlia Lithwick, who is teaching “The Media and The Courts,” and former Georgia Lt. Gov. Pierre Howard, who is teaching “Law and Politics” and is serving as the law school’s Sanders Political Leadership Scholar.
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