Thomas (“Tom”) G. Sampson Sr. is the Managing Partner of Thomas Kennedy Sampson & Tompkins LLP and is the product of a family steeped in the law. His roots are in Durham, where his father, the late Daniel George Sampson, was a law professor and Dean at North Carolina Central University. Like his father, Sampson graduated from Morehouse College and sought a career in law. He has since practiced law for more than 50 years, building a national trial practice and reputation in the fields of personal injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice litigation. Sampson has represented the City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia in major litigation and has prosecuted catastrophic injury cases resulting in several then record-setting, seven-figure verdicts in state and federal courts . Sampson has several recoveries over $10 million or more; and numerous million-dollar settlements. Additionally, Sampson has successfully represented Fortune 500 corporations in major litigation. Throughout his career, Sampson has often been tapped to serve government, the Bar, and the community. He was appointed by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin to a special panel to evaluate the Atlanta Municipal Court and the City Court of Atlanta. He is also a Special Assistant to the Attorney General for the State of Georgia, having been appointed by Attorney General Thurbert Baker. He was the first African American inducted into the Georgia Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates , and he has been listed in every edition of The Best Lawyers in America since 1993. Sampson has served as a Master in both the Bleckley and Logan Inns of the American Inns of Court. In 2007, Sampson was inducted as a Charter Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, an honor reserved for less than one-half of one percent of lawyers in America. Locally, Atlanta Magazine has consistently included Sampson in its list of the “Best Lawyers in Atlanta,” and he has been a Georgia “Super Lawyer” in every year of its existence, an honor reserved for the top 5 percent of the lawyers in the State. In 2006, Morehouse College honored Sampson with its Bennie Trailblazer Award , the highest level of recognition bestowed upon alumni by the College. In 2010, for his civic contributions, accomplishments, and leadership, the Atlanta Hawks honored Sampson as a Trailblazer during a special presentation at a Hawks game in Phillips Arena. PRACTICE AREAS Personal & Catastrophic Injury Premises Liability Wrongful Death Medical Malpractice EDUCATION & BAR ADMISSION Morehouse College, B.A., 1968 London School of Economics Member, Society of International Business Fellows University of North Carolina, J.D., 1971 Bar Admission 1971, Georgia 1971, North Carolina PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION & AWARDS Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers Listed in “Best Lawyers in America” for over 20 years Lawyers of Distinction, Top 10% in the USA, 2017 Listed in the “Top 100 Lawyers” in Georgia by the American Trial Lawyers Association, 2007-2010 Listed AV Preeminent, Martindale Hubbell Listed in Georgia Super Lawyers, 2005-2022 Gate City Bar Association Hall of Fame, 2002 Bennie Trailblazer Award Recipient, Morehouse College, 2006 Hillside High School, Hall of Fame, 2009 Trailblazer Award, Atlanta Hawks, 2010 Hall of Fame Award, Atlanta Tribune, 2012 National Bar Association, Hall of Fame, 2014 State Bar of Georgia, Randolph Thrower Award, 2015 Daily Report, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2016 Tradition of Excellence Award, State Bar of Georgia, 2017 Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys Zenith Award of Excellence, 2017 America’s Most Honored Lawyers, The American Registry, 2020 Legal Legend Award, National Bar Association, 2020 Gertrude Rush Distinguished Service Award, NBA, 2021 Recognized for Excellence in Civil Litigation, Lawyers of Distinction, 2018 Georgia Best Lawyers, Georgia Best Lawyers Association, 2013 Top Trial Lawyers, American Trial Lawyers Association, 2007, 2007, 2011 Nation’s Top One Percent, National Association of Distinguished Counsel, 2015, 2016 Georgia’s Best Lawyers, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, New York Times and Wall Street Journal, 2012, 2014 Former Master, Logan E. Bleckley Inn of Court Former Master, Joseph Henry Lumpkin Inn of Court Charter Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America Fellow, Lawyers Foundation of Georgia Men Who Soar Award, Men Looking Ahead Law & Justice Award, Women Looking Ahead Other Associations Atlanta Judicial Commission; Board of Councilors for the Carter Center; Boards of Directors of the Atlanta Urban League; Board of Directors, Senior Citizens Services of Metropolitan Atlanta; Charter Member & Former Vice Chairman, Neighborhood Justice Center; President, Gate City Bar Association; Barrister, Logan E. Bleckley Inn of the American Inns of Court; Member, Board of Governors, State Bar of Georgia; Special Assistant, Attorney General for the State of Georgia; President, Atlanta Legal Aid Society; Chairman, State Bar of Georgia Client Security Fund; Vice President, State Bar of Georgia Disciplinary Board; Vice President, Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers; Regional Director, National Bar Association; Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgia State University; Instructor, Atlanta College of Trial Advocacy
