About Macklin
Macklin Thornton built a steady legal path from undergraduate work at the University of California, Berkeley to a law degree from the University of San Diego. He earned his B.A. in History and Political Science in 2015 and completed his J.D. in 2019. The two degrees bookend a period of academic focus that shaped his early approach to litigation and legal analysis.
After law school, Thornton moved quickly into the federal courts. He served as a judicial law clerk for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California in 2019. That role immersed him in federal procedure and opinion drafting. It also gave him a close-up view of how complex cases progress from motion practice to trial and appeal.
He has balanced practice and teaching. In 2021 he returned to the University of San Diego School of Law as an adjunct professor. He taught practical skills and procedural topics to students preparing for courtroom work. Colleagues say the classroom role sharpened his ability to explain technical points in plain terms, a skill he brings to case preparation and client meetings.
Thornton moved into private practice at Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo as a litigation associate. He works on civil matters in California courts and has experience handling discovery, dispositive motions, and trial preparation. His resume reflects time spent in the trenches of litigation as well as in the study and teaching of legal doctrine. That combination has kept his practice rooted in federal and state court procedures, evidentiary strategy, and case management.
Peers describe Thornton as methodical in trial preparation and direct in written advocacy. He applies classroom examples to real-world disputes and tends to emphasize clarity in pleadings and briefs. Outside the office he has maintained involvement in professional circles since 2019, attending continuing legal education and participating in local bar activities.
Thornton’s career follows a straightforward arc: an undergraduate foundation at Berkeley, a law degree from San Diego, a federal clerkship, a return to the law school as a teacher, and work in private litigation practice. He is admitted to practice in California and currently practices civil litigation at Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo in California.
