Trista A. Sampson

HISTORY:

Trista Sampson attended law school at Stetson College of Law in St. Petersburg, Florida. She chose Stetson because of its excellent reputation for teaching trial advocacy skills, and so that she might remain close to her family in the Bay area. While at Stetson, she focused her coursework on trial skills and took summer courses on children's legal issues.

Ms. Sampson has been practicing law in Tampa, Florida since 2001. She has gained critical early experience through her work as an Assistant Public Defender in Hillsborough County, where she served for two years. Interested in learning a new area of law, Mrs. Sampson became a prosecutor with the Children's Legal Services unit of the Office of the Attorney General. There she represented the Department of Children and Families in civilly prosecuting cases of child abuse, abandonment, and neglect.

Trista Sampson began representing individual clients after entering private practice in 2007. Every case she accepts receives her individual attention in aggressive representation while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. The focused individual attention to each case results in highly effective communication with her clients and a thorough understanding of the client's desired outcome.

VALUES:

Trista Sampson is passionate about the defense of individuals from unjust incarceration or restrictions on their liberty and the protection of families and children. To achieve this, she applies the skills she learned while working for the Public Defender's Office and the Office of the Attorney General to each case the firm accepts.

Every case is personally handled by Mrs. Sampson, ensuring that your representative in Court is the attorney that you discussed your case with prior to the hearing. Unlike with some larger law firms that send junior associates to handle hearings, you can be certain that an experienced attorney who is familiar with your case is appearing on your behalf in Court. Mrs. Sampson will take the necessary time to explain to you what to expect prior to any hearings, and to answer any questions afterwards.

In order to further her ability to achieve the best possible outcome for her clients in every case, Mrs. Sampson has attended the Florida State Supreme Court approved dependency court mediator program to become a certified mediator in dependency cases. Mrs. Sampson can use the skills gained in that course in cases of every type to negotiate better conditions of release, case plan terms, plea bargains, and many other settlements.

Trista Sampson believes that every individual entitled to affordable, quality legal representation from a highly knowledgeable and professional attorney in criminal defense and children's legal issues cases. She applies her skills to narrow areas of law to maintain a familiarity with the court personnel, policies, and laws to ensure the best representation for her clients. By operating a small firm, Mrs. Sampson is able to offer affordable representation to persons entering the court system with the greatest need.

Serving the community is something Mrs. Sampson has been passionate about for many years. She has served on a variety of volunteer search and rescue teams in the Tampa Bay area for almost 20 years. She is also the legal advisor to the Military Ministry at St. Stephen Catholic Church.