Gate City Bar Association: NEWSLETTER PROFILE
Only one thing is harder than reaching the top: Staying there.
But Thomas G. Sampson knows what it takes to remain perched upon the pinnacle. What is more important, he does what it takes day in and day out, with an exuberance that permeates the wide-ranging operations at the law offices of Thomas, Kennedy, Sampson & Patterson.
"There are a lot of excellent lawyers out there," Sampson said, "and it's not enough to go the extra mile to distinguish yourself. You must go the extra five or ten miles. You must do whatever is necessary to provide the highest level of service to your clients. And you must do it consistently."
Sampson's all-consuming and unflinching pursuit of excellence paid a singular dividend in 1993; he was selected as one of the best personal injury lawyers in Georgia by the "Best Lawyers in America" referral guide.
The guide, published once every two years, tapped Sampson again in 1995 for inclusion in its pages, used primarily by lawyers to refer clients who need representation in specialized areas.
Sampson is the only African-American in Georgia named as one of the top personal injury lawyers in the guide's 1995-1996 edition, and less than one percent of lawyers nationwide are selected for the guide, the most comprehensive and highly regarded reference work of its type.
"Being chosen as one of the top lawyers in my field is quite an honor" Sampson said. "I am especially pleased because the selection is determined by voting among the top-ranked attorneys in the United States. This is an affirmation of the firm's 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 is a co-founder and senior partner in the prestigious Atlanta firm of Thomas, Kennedy, Sampson & Patterson, the only minority owned and operated firm represented in the Georgia section of the "Best Lawyers" guide. Sampson heads the firm's litigation department, and specializes in cases involving medical malpractice, personal injury and wrongful death.
Sampson, a Durham, N.C., native who has handled numerous high profile cases during his 24-year career, directed Thomas, Kennedy, Sampson & Patterson's prosecution of Northside Hospital in a nationally renowned circumcision-maiming case that resulted in a $22.8 million structured-settlement award.
He recently concluded the successful prosecution of Northlake Hospital in a case in which a 6-month-old baby died of meningitis 16 hours after she was misdiagnosed at the hospital's emergency room and released. The suit, which resulted in a substantial six-figure settlement, points to Sampson and the firm's commitment to extraordinary service.
Charlena Mahoney, the mother of the dead child, talked about what that commitment meant to her during the darkest days of here life. "Thomas and the other lawyers at the firm counseled me and referred me to professional counselors," she said. "It's hard to find someone to help when you need it, someone you can really trust. But I found that in Sampson and the others. They really took me by the hand and led me out of the despair I was feeling. In fact, they're still holding my hand."
For Sampson, the Mahoney case represents the firm's basic approach; total service to the client's every need. "I was as concerned with Mahoney's emotional state as I was with obtaining justice for her," he said. "A mother who has lost a child... that's a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. We did everything we could to help her survive that trauma and get on with living."
Sampson's commitment to service goes far beyond the walls of his office in the Bank South Building in downtown Atlanta. He is active in numerous professional and civic organizations, including the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the National Bar Association and the American Board of Trial Advocates.
The first African-American attorney to be inducted into the Georgia Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Sampson is a former president of the Gate City Bar Association and recently was appointed to the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia. He also is a Master in the Bleckley-Inn of the American Inns of Court.
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. The firm, whose areas of practice include civil litigation, general corporate and medical malpractice, was named as "one to watch in the 1990s" by Black Enterprise magazine.
Sampson, though, is not a man to stand pat, no matter how good the hand. He is aggressively taking the firm into new territory, expanding service into east and south Georgia.
"You always have to be looking to the future and exploring ways to make yourself more viable in the marketplace," said Sampson, who currently is involved in a major case in Savannah against the federal government.
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.