People
Sam primarily helps tech companies navigate California class action lawsuits for privacy claims (CIPA, CDAFA, Invasion of Privacy, CCPA) and marketing claims (TCPA, Do Not Call, and CAN-SPAM). He serves on Law360's Cybersecurity & Privacy Editorial Board and previously worked as an in-house litigation attorney at TikTok. He has also advised Fortune 100 companies on their terms of service, consent disclosures, privacy policies, and website and marketing practices.
His notable matters include:
Sam is also a member of the Mexican Bar Association, and he dedicates a large part of his practice to pro bono work, through which he has obtained an injunction to improve the conditions of detention in Border Patrol facilities in Arizona and won asylum for an indigent youth from Mexico. He has won the Pro Bono Service Award every year he's been at King & Spalding.
Beyond his tech work, Sam has broad experience in complex commercial matters, including partnership and breach of contract disputes, trial, and arbitration (including enforcement of tens of millions of dollars of arbitration awards). Clients especially value Sam's attentiveness and dedication to their personal goals, as he does not rely on a one-size-fits-all strategy.
Sam graduated from Harvard Law School in 2015, where he was a research assistant for Professor Laurence Tribe and Co-President of the Harvard Mediation Program. He clerked for a federal district court and a federal circuit court before joining King & Spalding. When not practicing law, Sam spends time with his rescue dogs, Alvin and Dash, and surfs and hikes in Southern California.
J.D., Harvard Law School
B.A., University of California-Los Angeles, summa cum laude with honors
California
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
Judicial Clerk, Honorable Bernice B. Donald, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Judicial Clerk, Honorable Sheryl H. Lipman, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
Spanish
March 20, 2025
Law360 Selects 14 from King & Spalding to Serve on its 2025 Editorial Boards
September 12, 2022
Craig Carpenito, Dick Walker and Sam Cortina counsel Hudson Vegas Investment SP in a SPAC merger dispute with P3 Health Group
December 6, 2022
King & Spalding Secures Full Settlement of CFPB and NYAG Enforcement Proceedings for $1 Penalty
March 20, 2025
Law360 Selects 14 from King & Spalding to Serve on its 2025 Editorial Boards
September 12, 2022
Craig Carpenito, Dick Walker and Sam Cortina counsel Hudson Vegas Investment SP in a SPAC merger dispute with P3 Health Group
December 6, 2022
King & Spalding Secures Full Settlement of CFPB and NYAG Enforcement Proceedings for $1 Penalty
March 20, 2025
Law360 Selects 14 from King & Spalding to Serve on its 2025 Editorial Boards
September 12, 2022
Craig Carpenito, Dick Walker and Sam Cortina counsel Hudson Vegas Investment SP in a SPAC merger dispute with P3 Health Group
J.D., Harvard Law School
B.A., University of California-Los Angeles, summa cum laude with honors
California
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
Judicial Clerk, Honorable Bernice B. Donald, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Judicial Clerk, Honorable Sheryl H. Lipman, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
Spanish