Samuel A. Josephs

Sam Josephs is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer who focuses on white-collar criminal matters and government enforcement actions, as well as complex civil litigation and administrative matters. In 2023, Sam was recognized by the Daily Journal in its list of Top White-Collar Lawyers. Sam has achieved remarkable results for his clients, both before and after trial, including an acquittal on all charges following an eight-week jury trial on behalf of a Fox Sports executive charged in the FIFA bribery case in the Eastern District of New York. Sam has successfully represented clients in hundreds of federal and state criminal cases and argued numerous appeals in the Ninth Circuit. Prior to joining private practice, Sam spent four and a half years as a Trial Deputy with the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California.

Sam has also developed an expertise representing college students facing university-led investigations and disciplinary actions. When the college admissions scandal broke in March 2019, Sam successfully helped a number of students and their families avoid expulsion and the filing of criminal charges.

Sam earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, and graduated in the top five of his class. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University, where he was a member of the Men's Tennis team.

After graduating from law school, Sam clerked for the Honorable William H. Pauley, III, in the Southern District of New York, and the Honorable Milan D. Smith, Jr., on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. During law school, he also worked as a summer associate in the New York office of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

Sam serves as Co-Chair of the Lawyer Representatives for the Central District of California and is on the Board of Directors for the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law. He is admitted to both the California and New York state bars.