Sally Thompson

Sally qualified as a solicitor in 1991 and co-founded Luqmani Thompson & Partners in 1998. She is currently the firm’s managing partner, as well as the SRA appointed Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP) and our client relationship manager.

Sally is renowned for her sympathetic and conscientious approach to her work. Having completed her BA in Sociology and Politics & Government at the University of Kent in 1986, she embarked on a legal career as a solicitor, completing first the conversion course followed by the Solicitors’ Final examination at the college of Law in Guildford.

From as far back as the playground Sally has felt passionately about the importance of fairness, equality and accountability in society.  As a lawyer she quickly established her reputation as a human rights practitioner, and within a short time of qualifying was ranked by Chambers & Partners as an upcoming leader in the immigration law category, and then as a leader. She worked in a number of prestigious law firms where alongside her legal work she gained interest into the dynamics of running a successful practice.

Sally is now the touchstone of the firm and driving force behind our ongoing development. She embarked on and was awarded an MBA in Legal Practice with commendation from Nottingham Trent University in 2006.  She spearheaded the efforts by the firm to achieve the highly prized Law Society Lexcel Practice Management Standard, which the firm is proud to have maintained since 2012.  She was shortlisted as a Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year finalist for two years running, and was a winner in 2019 in the practice management category.

Sally is often singled out for praise by her team and colleagues in the profession but in her typical modest way she rarely takes credit. To give insight we quote from the firm’s Lexcel assessment report of 2020. “This particular Practice is one of the most innovative Practices that the assessor visits. The Partners encourage staff to contribute towards compliance and best practice, having long since established and embedded the connection between compliance and business success. Indeed, this ethos contributed to the Partner responsible for the management of the Practice receiving the Practice Manager of the Year award at the 2019 LALYs and same individual was featured in a Lexcel promotional video last year”. Sally puts the success of the practice down to the strong team, who she says make her look good!

Sally’s exceptional results mark her out as a force to be reckoned with.

Commendations:

Clients have commented on Sally’s “understandable” advice and “approachable” manner.

“Sally is a pleasure to work with – dedicated, a superb lawyer, and with first class interpersonal client skills. I recommend her highly.” – Samantha Knights, Matrix Chambers

“Sally Thompson represents all that a lawyer working in the human rights field should be. She combines a strong zeal for justice with a fierce intelligence, and a warm compassion. Jawaid might be thought a hard act to follow but Sally is every bit his equal in legal skills and standing. Together they make a powerful and hugely well regarded team.” David Burgess.

Areas of Practice

• Immigration
• Management

Awards

Legal Aid Practice Manager of the Year 2019