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Attorney Bio
Brian G. Thompson
Partner, Chair - Criminal Defense (State)
Brian Thompson is one of the founding partners of Silverman Thompson and chair of the firm’s Criminal Defense Practice Group. A Baltimore criminal attorney with over 30 years of experience, Mr. Thompson devotes his time to litigating criminal cases, DUIs, and other serious traffic matters. Mr. Thompson is a former prosecutor who has practiced exclusively criminal defense since leaving the State’s Attorney’s Office in 1998. He has since successfully defended thousands of clients in criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies, including murder.
Silverman Thompson is the largest law firm in the state of Maryland that practices criminal defense, allowing Mr. Thompson to assemble a team of experienced attorneys for every case. As an aggressive criminal defense attorney, Brian Thompson has spent years developing deep relationships with judges, prosecutors, and the legal community at large.
Widely considered one of the leading criminal defense and DUI attorneys in Baltimore and throughout Maryland, Brian Thompson has earned recognition from Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America for more than a decade and has been named among the top 100 lawyers in the state. In 2026, he was also named to the Legal 500 U.S. City Elite Baltimore guide for White-Collar Crime. Mr. Thompson has received dozens of five-star Google reviews and holds a 5.0 rating from Avvo, reflecting the high regard in which he is held by both clients and peers.
Significant Cases
The real work of criminal defense is about making smart, strategic decisions that protect your clients’ future. Brian Thompson is known for his individualized approach to each client’s unique case, as seen in recent verdicts below:
- Jury trial, not guilty on all charges: Baltimore County police officer accused of first-degree assault
- Not guilty: First-degree murder case where the defendant was wrongfully accused but confessed to the crime
- Motion for judgment of acquittal granted on all charges after the State’s case: Baltimore County police officer accused of conspiracy
- Acquitted on all charges: Auto manslaughter in Harford County
- Jury trial, not guilty in less than an hour: 16-year-old tried as an adult for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder
- Jury trial, not guilty of all charges: Baltimore County Police Officer charged with first-degree assault in use of force case in Baltimore City Circuit Court. Immediately reinstated to full duty as police officer
- Jury trial, not guilty of all felonies: Attempted first-degree murder in Harford County. State seeking 25 years. Judge immediately releases from commitment
- Found not guilty of all charges: Client charged with assaulting a security officer at Ravens Stadium during game. Successfully resolved civil case against stadium in confidential settlement in Baltimore City Circuit Court
- All felony charges dropped: First-degree rape. State seeking 30 years. Defendant enters no-contest plea to misdemeanor offenses only and serves no jail sentence
Government Service
- Chosen by Governor O’Malley to sit on the Baltimore County Judicial Nominating Committee, 2007-2015
- Assistant State’s Attorney, Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office, 1994-1998
- United States Army Reserve, 1986-1990
- United States Army, 1984-1986
Memberships
- Maryland State Bar Association
- Bar Association for Baltimore County
- Maryland Criminal Defense Attorney’s Association
- Maryland Trial Lawyers Association
Honors, Awards & Appointments
- Legal 500 U.S. City Elite Baltimore, White-Collar Crime, 2026
- The Best Lawyers in America - Criminal Defense: General Practice, 2021-2026
- Maryland Super Lawyer in Criminal Defense, by Law and Politics, 2007 - 2011, 2013 - 2026
- Top Lawyers, Baltimore Magazine, 2026
- The Daily Record Criminal Law Power List, 2023
- America's Most Honored Professionals, 2015
- Top 100 Lawyers in Maryland by Super Lawyers Magazine, 2014-2015
- Appointed by Governor O’Malley to Trial Courts Judicial Nominating Commission for Baltimore County (four-year term), 2007
Awards + Recognition
Downtown Baltimore
Baltimore, MD 21202 Map + Directions
Washington D.C.
Washington DC 20006
From our offices in Baltimore, Annapolis, Towson, and Washington, D.C., we provide representation for clients throughout the state of Maryland and beyond, including Bel Air, Fallston, Abingdon, White Marsh, Middle River, Parkville, Essex, Rosedale, Perry Hall, Overlea, Carney, Dundalk, Hampton, Lutherville, Timonium, Cockeysville, Phoenix, Reisterstown, Owings Mills, Randallstown, Pikesville, Milford Mill, Woodlawn, Catonsville, Ellicott City, West Friendship, Clarksville, Columbia, Fulton, Elkridge, Brooklyn Park, Linthicum Heights, Ferndale, Glen Burnie, Pasadena, Severn, Severna Park, Arnold, Cape Saint Claire, Edgewater, Crownsville, Crofton, Odenton, Bowie, Laurel, and Snow Hill.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
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