Richard Thurston

Job Title: Former TSMC General Counsel (Retired)
Company: RLT Global Consulting LLC

Dr. Richard (“Dick”) Thurston is the former Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., 2002 – 2014; and a consultant to Dr. Morris Chang, 2014-2017. During his tenure as TSMC General Counsel, he resided in Hsinchu, Taiwan. While at TSMC Dr. Thurston assisted the company in developing its best-in-class intellectual property and trade secret promotion and protection program (“PIP”). Furthermore, in developing TSMC’s litigation strategies, he successfully litigated around the world against defendants who had misappropriated TSMC trade secrets, such as China’s SMIC And, he was instrumental in achieving major legislative reform in Taiwan for the protection of trade secrets. Dick also managed TSMC’s compliance program, M&A activities including joint ventures/venture capital investments etc. He helped to establish TSMC’s best-in-class policies, protocols and procedures for semiconductor investments around the world, such as in China, Singapore and the US to name a few.

Upon retiring from TSMC, Dr. Thurston assumed a number of advisory roles, most recently as an independent member of the Board of Directors of Nantero, Inc.  Dr. Thurston is also Principal at RLT Global Consulting, LLC.

Before joining TSMC, Dr. Thurston was a partner with Haynes and Boone, a Dallas, Texas-based law firm. There, he was Chairperson of the firm’s International Practice Section and he established their Richardson, TX office.  Previously, he had been the Regional Counsel, Asia Pacific, and Vice President, Corporate Staff, Assistant General Counsel at Texas Instruments (1984-1996), resident in Dallas and Tokyo (1987-1990), where Dr. Thurston devoted significant efforts in: government relations in the semiconductor battles with the Japanese; promoting and protecting TI’s intellectual property; corporate compliance; mergers and acquisitions; and international trade and investment, among other disciplines.

Dr. Thurston graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in History from Alma College (Alma, MI). He earned both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in East Asian Studies from the University of Virginia, where he was a Jefferson Scholar. Dick’s J.D. degree is from Rutgers School of Law – Camden, NJ. He also studied law at Soochow University (Taiwan) while researching his Ph.D. dissertation: Civil Law Reform in China, 1906-1930. Dr. Thurston has taught both law and business classes at: SMU School of Law (Dallas, TX); University of Texas, Dallas; Soochow University (Taiwan); National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan); and National Cheng-Chih University (Taiwan). Dick is admitted to the practice of law and a member of the respective Bar Associations of Texas, New Jersey and New York and of Dutchess County, New York and NYC.

Dr. Thurston has written and lectured widely on international, transactional, and intellectual property matters, most recently on trade secret protection and the U.S Chips Act legislation and investment activities related to the funding under the Chips Act. He has received many awards and recognitions throughout his career. In 2013, he was selected from 800 nominees as the ILO Asia-Pacific General Counsel of the Year. Dick is fluent in Mandarin.

Dr. Thurston serves as the elected Town Supervisor of the Town of Wappinger, Dutchess County, NY. Thurston was first elected in November 2017. He is now in his sixth year of service to the Wappinger community.

Dr. Thurston and his wife, Yvonne, reside in the Town of Wappinger, NY. He has two children and two grandchildren.