Jordan Thompson ’14 L’17, legal counsel at TikTok, returned to Elon Law to discuss his career and offer insights for students looking to land their dream job. Thompson is a member of the law school’s advisory board.
Long before law school, Jordan Thompson ’14 L’17 was hustling toward a career in sports and entertainment.
As an Elon undergrad and football player, now a member of TikTok’s North American legal team, Thompson printed résumés, stuffed envelopes and mailed every NFL franchise to get his foot in the door of professional sports. One team called back: the Detroit Lions. That single response opened his first NFL opportunity in player personnel, setting a tone of persistence and relationship-building that has defined his career ever since.
“You only need one ‘yes’,” Thompson told Elon Law students during a career-building session Wednesday, Sept. 10. “You all should use LinkedIn. Reach out to professionals you admire, people whose career you’d like to emulate. Just reach out. Send a message and ask for a short call to learn about them and their path. Shift your goal from, ‘I need an internship,’ to ‘I want to meet people who know me and like me.’ If that conversation goes well, mention opportunities like Elon Law’s residency program or internships, but more importantly you’ve made a connection and started a relationship you can return to years later.”
From Elon football to Elon Law, Thompson’s path moved through a 1L summer with a sports agency, a residency with the Washington Commanders, his 2L at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, one of Wall Street’s oldest, and most prestigious law firms. That led to his first job, as an associate attorney in Cadwalader’s global litigation and sports law group. He went on to a role as assistant general counsel and a certified NFL agent at Priority Sports & Entertainment, where he negotiated millions of dollars in NFL contracts and advised elite athletes on legal and business matters.
Since 2023, he’s served as legal counsel on TikTok’s North American Legal team, negotiating major sponsorships, closing deals with top creators and celebrities, and supporting TikTok’s high-profile events.
An engaged alumnus, he regularly takes calls and messages from students to connect them with opportunities in his network and mentor them. Thompson is also a member of Elon Law’s advisory board, helping guide the school toward its mission to be the premier law school for practical skills training and experiential learning.
During an hour-long discussion with students, he outlined some key tips for success.
Building a network and nurturing relationships
“Some of your most important professional relationships start here with your classmates,” Thompson said. “Everyone in this room brings their own network and experiences, so take the time to build relationships with your future colleagues.”
Thompson emphasized that relationships grow through shared experiences, collaboration and intentional connection.
Standing out in a competitive job market
Thompson pointed to Elon Law’s hands-on learning model as a powerful way for students to differentiate themselves. With built-in support for securing meaningful 1L and 2L summer positions, alongside a full-time legal residency, students graduate with practical experience that sets them apart.
“If you can walk into interviews with three strong experiences from your summers and residency, you’ll rise to the top of the applicant pool,” he said.
Growing in your career
“The key is learning to adapt to changes — in the market and in your own life,” Thompson said. “I work closely with my clients and make it a point to really immerse myself in their world. The more you understand your clients, the trends shaping their industries, and where the world is headed, the better positioned you are to adapt and stay ahead.”
As his roles have evolved, so has his home life. Now married with a young child, he can’t be accessible at all hours as he once was. He’s set boundaries and redesigned how he mentors and networks, for example consolidating individual calls into bi-monthly group Zoom sessions to protect time for family.
Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer closed with a call-to-action for students.
“A huge part of our job at Elon Law is to allow you to imagine what your life can be, so this is an opportunity to think about what your career and your life could look like,” Kramer said. “The lesson I take from Jordan’s life and career is he chased what he wanted, and he didn’t shy away from talking to each and every person.
“Jordan’s is a story about reaching out, and one about receiving calls as much as making calls. If you take anything from this conversation, it’s that your career is in your control and you have to grab it.”