Taft Chicago partner Derrick Thompson has been named Chair of the Big Ten Advisory Commission. The Commission was created in 1972 and is comprised of former athletes from each Big Ten member institution to advocate for diverse student-athletes. Thompson represents Northwestern University.

The Commission engages with student-athletes via on-campus visits, participation at meetings and events, and web-based questionnaires to identify issues and initiate dialogue. It also serves as a resource to the NCAA’s Diversity and Inclusion Department, the Big Ten Student-Athlete Advisory Commission and other organizations.

Thompson is a member of Taft’s Litigation group focusing on complex business and contract disputes. He has significant experience as lead trial counsel in a variety of litigation matters, including partnership disputes, real estate litigation, employment litigation, intellectual property disputes, trust and fiduciary litigation, and sports and entertainment-related disputes. In addition, he has been retained as appellate counsel in cases involving business and contract disputes.