Durham Native Again Named Among Nation's Best Lawyers
ATLANTA - Thomas G. Sampson, a Durham, N.C. native and Co-founder and senior partner in the Atlanta firm of Thomas, Kennedy, Sampson & Patterson, again has been selected for inclusion in "The Best Lawyers in America," a referral guide for lawyers.
Sampson, a 1964 graduate of Hillside High School, has handled numerous high profile cases during his 24-year career and is the only African American in Georgia named as one of the top personal injury lawyers in the guide's 1995-96 edition. He heads the litigation department at Thomas, Kennedy, Sampson and Patterson - the only minority owned and operated firm represented in the Georgia section of the "Best Lawyers" guide.
"It's quite an honor, and of course I'm pleased," Sampson said. "But what gives me the greatest pleasure is knowing that my firm is providing the very best service possible for our clients. I believe that this recognition is an affirmation of our commitment to service. And.that's the bottom line."
A graduate of Morehouse College and the law school at The University of North Carolina, Sampson specializes in cases involving medical malpractice, personal injury and wrongful death. He directed the firm's prosecution of Northside Hospital in Atlanta in a nationally publicized circumcision-maiming case that resulted in a $22.8 million award.
Sampson is the first African American attorney to be inducted into the Georgia Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and is a member of many civic and professional organizations, including the North Carolina Bar Association, the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the National Bar Association. He recently was appointed to the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia.
In 1971, Sampson helped found Thomas, Kennedy, Sampson & Patterson, the oldest minority owned law firm in Atlanta and one of the largest in the Southeast.
Sampson's father, Daniel G. Sampson, is professor emeritus at the North Carolina Central University School of Law.
Thomas Sampson lives in College Park with his wife, Dr. Jacquelyn Sanders Sampson, and daughter, Alia Janine. His son, Thomas G. Sampson, II, joined Thomas, Kennedy, Sampson & Patterson in June 1994.