On December 1, 2006, Samantha Schwartz was sworn in and admitted as an attorney into the California State Bar. Ms. Schwartz has been a criminal defense attorney for the last four years. Since becoming an attorney, she has handled more than 5,000 criminal cases – including probation hearings, expungements, misdemeanor jury trials, preliminary hearings, and felony cases. Ms. Schwartz has also represented approximately 1,500 cases in which her clients were undocumented immigrants charged with criminal offenses. On these particular cases, Ms. Schwartz gained invaluable experience negotiating with the district attorney to ensure her client would not face removal (deportation) or inadmissibility (unable to re-enter into the U.S.).

Ms. Schwartz was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has lived in the Bay Area most of her life. In 2002, she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree of Science from the University of California: Santa Cruz.

Ms. Schwartz was awarded a merit-based legal scholarship to Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, California. While attending law school, Ms. Schwartz was chosen to participate in the Honors Lawyering Program (HLP), a unique program designed for a small group of the best-qualified law students. Ms. Schwartz also served as a member of the Moot Court Board. In the fall of 2004 and the spring of 2005, she wrote for Law Review, and, in the fall of 2005, she served as an associate editor for Law Review.

From August 2004 to May 2005 and from September 2006 to May 2007, Ms. Schwartz interned with the San Francisco Public Defender’s office in San Francisco, California. Her experiences at the San Francisco Public Defender’s office instilled in her a deep founded belief that all individuals, irrespective of their financial situation, should have access to expert, aggressive, and affordable legal representation.

From August 2005 to April 2006, Ms. Schwartz served as a judicial extern for Judge Mary Morgan at the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant Street in San Francisco, California. While serving as an extern for Judge Morgan, Ms. Schwartz familiarized herself with the daily workings of the criminal court system and, most importantly, discovered how judges approached, analyzed, and decided criminal cases.

In June 2006, Ms. Schwartz graduated from Golden Gate University School of Law.

Ms. Schwartz is currently an active member of the California State Bar, the Bar Association of San Francisco, and the San Mateo County Bar Association. Ms. Schwartz’s California State Bar number is 244770.