Richard K. Thompson

Richard Kent Thompson was a first-rate mining attorney who practiced in Reno, Nevada. Born in Indio, California on May 26, 1951, he earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and his law degree from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. He died in Reno on December 13, 2013, at the age of 62.

Richard built his career on the exacting discipline of mineral title examination, reducing mountains of documents to cogent title opinions that were accepted in financings around the world. He practiced alongside his law partner of twenty-five years, Richard W. Harris, and colleagues at the firm of Harris & Thompson. A long-standing and active member of the Nevada Landman's Association, he was a genial host for its spring and Christmas events, and his presentations at the Mineral and Land Resources Institute in Reno were delivered with humor and insight. He also served as a trustee of the prestigious Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.

Beyond the law, Richard was an artist, writer, musician, and teacher. He guided discussions of American government at Truckee Meadows Community College for many years, illustrating the foundations of democracy with a wooden model assembled piece by piece over the course of a semester, and he also taught courses in Western civilization and comparative religion. He was remembered by colleagues, students, and friends as a man of brilliant mind who sought knowledge tempered with wisdom.