Chandler D. Thornton is admitted to practice in Texas. He is not currently admitted to practice in the District of Columbia. He is supervised by a member of the DC Bar.
Chandler D. Thornton is an associate and member of the Public Policy and Law group within the firm's Policy and Regulatory practice. His practice encompasses a range of legal, policy, and regulatory matters, with a focus on maritime law and issues affecting clients across the global maritime, shipping, offshore, fisheries, logistics, infrastructure, and marine transportation sectors. Chandler works with a variety of clients on matters involving complex legal and regulatory frameworks and engages with stakeholders in government, industry, and the broader public policy community.
Prior to joining the firm as an associate, Chandler held a legal internship in the Office of the Chairman at the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), where he assisted FMC leadership and staff on matters related to the regulation of the US international ocean transportation system. His prior government experience includes an internship in the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the US Department of the Treasury, where he supported US sanctions investigations involving foreign nationals, companies, and other entities, including those on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), and an internship with a longtime member of the US House Armed Services Committee (HASC).
During law school in New Orleans, Louisiana, Chandler earned a certificate in maritime law and served on the executive board of the Tulane Maritime Law Journal. He also held internships with a federal judge on the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and in the in-house legal department of a marine transportation company specializing in Jones Act-qualified offshore supply vessels (OSVs) and multipurpose support vessels (MPSVs). Chandler also studied international maritime law in Rhodes, Greece, and earned certificates of advanced study in international arbitration, mediation, and negotiation in Berlin, Germany.
Before law school, Chandler served two terms as national chairman of one of the nation's oldest, largest, and most active political organizations, helping to cultivate and expand a bipartisan network of political leaders on US college campuses nationwide. He also held roles with public policy organizations focused on national security and defense issues. He received the Bryce Harlow Foundation Award for his research on the administration and enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and related requirements under US law. Chandler is also a graduate of the European Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute in Brussels, Belgium.
Chandler maintains an active pro bono practice and remains involved with several professional and industry organizations, including the Admiralty and Maritime Law Committee (AMLC) of the American Bar Association's Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (ABA-TIPS), the Maritime Law Association of the United States (MLAUS), and the Propeller Club of the Port of Washington, DC.
