Sam is a litigator who uses his federal clerkship experience at the trial and appellate levels to help businesses resolve complex, high-stakes disputes. He has seen firsthand how lawyers win—and lose—cases for their clients, and he applies those lessons in state and federal courts across the country on behalf of companies large and small.
Since joining Womble Bond Dickinson in 2015, Sam has earned his clients’ trust by working hard to understand their goals and dedicating himself to achieving them. He is personally invested in delivering the best possible outcome for the people that have entrusted their cases to him. Sam’s clients appreciate his ability to develop creative strategies and get results that align with their business goals.
Sam came to the firm following a clerkship with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Prior to that, Sam clerked for a federal judge in Philadelphia, PA, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was a senior editor of the Law Review and co-chair of the Moot Court Board, and taught first and second grade in Brooklyn, NY, as a Teach For America corps member.
Honors and Awards
- Recognized in Business North Carolina magazine's Legal Elite, Appellate Law, 2023
- Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America (BL Rankings), Alternative Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation (2021 - Present) and Litigation - Banking & Finance (2023)
- Recognized in North Carolina Super Lawyers – Rising Stars (Thompson Reuters) (2018-2023)
Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Represented German agrochemical company in multimillion-dollar contract dispute presenting issues of first impression.
- Won reversal by the Fourth Circuit of adverse district court judgment.
- Served as appellate counsel to individual challenging the Fourth Circuit’s “anomalous rule” that permitted the federal government to seize property of an individual without a conviction. The en banc Fourth Circuit unanimously vacated that rule, overruling longstanding precedent.
- Defended finance company in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau investigation presenting unresolved questions of constitutional law. Won favorable ruling from the Ninth Circuit.
- Represented British pharmaceutical company in copyright dispute, obtaining settlement before trial.
