EXPERIENCE
Marina Samson is a trial attorney specializing in Civil Rights and White Collar Crime matters in federal and state courts. Since joining Ivie McNeill Wyatt Purcell & Diggs in 2017, she has prosecuted and defended civil rights, employment, police misconduct, civil and criminal fraud, and white collar crime cases, in both state and federal courts. She first chaired a civil rights matter involving a deadly shooting of a young man by two Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputies with excessive number of shots, where she aggressively litigated the issue of “deputy cliques” and obtained a hang jury verdict. Ms. Samson successfully represented private clients and entities in Federal Investigations involving the FBI, DEA, DHHS, and IRS, where she obtained non-indictments and non-custody plea deals for her clients. Ms. Samson skillfully negotiates successful plea deals for the clients accused of federal crimes resulting in non-indictments and non-custody sentencings.  

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Ms. Samson has argued before the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit where she obtained an undivided vote from three Justices in favor of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies in a deadly use of force case. 

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Ms. Samson’s services include homicide scene investigations in deadly shooting matters and collaborating with clients to develop strategies for mitigating liability exposures and resolving legal actions with the most favorable outcomes to her clients. She also advises law enforcement agencies on the employment issues, policies and legal developments in the areas of use of force and ethical and responsible policing. 

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Ms. Samson is responsible for all aspects of litigation including appellate work. Ms. Samson will conduct trials in Civil Rights and White Collar Crime matters. Ms. Samson litigated matters from assignment through trial for Public Entities and Private Companies.
 

Ms. Samson has served as a judicial clerk to Honorable Andre Birotte for the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, and as a full-time certified law clerk to the United States Attorney’s Office, Criminal Division, where she served on number of trial teams prosecuting Public Corruption, Police Misconduct, Obstruction of Justice, Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering, National Security and RICO cases.

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Ms. Samson is also fluent in Armenian and Russian languages.
 

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• American Bar Association, Member

• Armenian Bar Association, Member

• Federal Bar Association, Member

• Italian American Lawyers Association, Board of Directors, 2014-Present

• Judicial Intern Opportunity Diversity Initiative Program (JIOP), Alumna and Los Angeles Co-Chair

• Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA), Member

• LACBA’s President’s Advisory Committee on Women in Legal Profession, Social Chair, 2018-Present

• Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA), Member