Our People
Ethan M. Thomas

Ethan M. Thomas

415-875-2238
ethomas@fenwick.com
Associate
Litigation
Office

San Francisco

Ethan M.
Thomas

Ethan M.
Thomas

Ethan M.
Thomas

Associate
Litigation
Office

San Francisco

Education & Admissions

J.D., Columbia Law School

B.A., magna cum laude, Mathematics
Dartmouth College

Admitted to practice in California and New York

Admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Central and Northern Districts of California, the District of Colorado, the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Ethan represents clients across the technology, internet, and consumer product industries in a broad range of litigation matters, including commercial, intellectual property, and privacy and cybersecurity cases. He has experience counseling new and established businesses as they navigate disputes relating to new technologies and legal frontiers.

Prior to joining Fenwick, Ethan was an associate at an Am Law 50 firm, where he represented clients in civil and criminal government enforcement, commercial litigation and investigative matters. He also advised clients at both the trial and appellate levels on several matters involving securities and complex litigation.

Ethan maintains an active pro bono practice and recently won asylum for a family in San Francisco Immigration Court. He has represented other asylum applicants as well as transgender individuals seeking changes to their legal names and documents. Ethan has served as counsel to parties and amici curiae in federal appeals courts and in a certiorari petition to the United States Supreme Court.

Ethan was an editor on the Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems and graduated law school as a James Kent Scholar. While obtaining his law degree, Ethan interned for the Honorable Debra Ann Livingston of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Honorable Roslynn R. Mauskopf of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Read more

  • “FinCEN Civil Enforcement and Virtual Currency,” Bloomberg Law, February 2020 (co-author)
  • “2nd Circ. Ruling May Cause Int'l Discovery Flurry In NY,” Law360, October 2019 (co-author)
  • “Global Anti-Money Laundering: Investigations and Compliance Trends in the Fintech Era,” Bloomberg Law, June 2019 (co-author)
  • “Cryptocurrency Brings Rising International Risks,” Law360, May 2018 (co-author)
  • “SEC v. PlexCorps — Cyber Unit Enforcement Action Underscores Potential Challenges to Cross-Border Cryptocurrency Enforcement,” Legal Update, February 2018 (co-author)
  • “CFTC Reasserts Its Role In Virtual Currency Regulation,” Law360, January 2018 (co-author)
  • “The Privacy Case for Body Cameras: The Need for a Privacy-Centric Approach to Body Camera Policymaking,” 50 Colum. J.L. & Soc. Probs. 191, 2017, (cited in United States v. Lambus, 251 F.Supp.3d 470 (E.D.N.Y. 2017))

  • “FinCEN Civil Enforcement and Virtual Currency,” Bloomberg Law, February 2020 (co-author)
  • “2nd Circ. Ruling May Cause Int'l Discovery Flurry In NY,” Law360, October 2019 (co-author)
  • “Global Anti-Money Laundering: Investigations and Compliance Trends in the Fintech Era,” Bloomberg Law, June 2019 (co-author)
  • “Cryptocurrency Brings Rising International Risks,” Law360, May 2018 (co-author)
  • “SEC v. PlexCorps — Cyber Unit Enforcement Action Underscores Potential Challenges to Cross-Border Cryptocurrency Enforcement,” Legal Update, February 2018 (co-author)
  • “CFTC Reasserts Its Role In Virtual Currency Regulation,” Law360, January 2018 (co-author)
  • “The Privacy Case for Body Cameras: The Need for a Privacy-Centric Approach to Body Camera Policymaking,” 50 Colum. J.L. & Soc. Probs. 191, 2017, (cited in United States v. Lambus, 251 F.Supp.3d 470 (E.D.N.Y. 2017))