Samuel Alba

Samuel Alba leads the firm’s Criminal Defense Practice Group and SCM’s Snow Trial Services team.  He focuses on the defense of complex commercial and white-collar criminal cases in both state and federal courts.

Sam offers clients a unique skill level gained as a judge, a prosecutor, a public defender and a lawyer in private practice.  Because of this broad experience, he can readily assess a case from all perspectives. Sam works proactively with prosecutorial and investigative agencies to prevent criminal charges from being filed against clients – shielding them from significant damages to their bottom lines and reputations.

Sam joined the firm after 20 years as a well-respected federal magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court, District of Utah.  He was the State’s first Latino federal judge.  In this capacity, he oversaw a wide range of high-profile cases, including the Olympic bribery scandal, the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, the theft of ancient artifacts from federal lands, the deaths of two children exposed to toxic pesticide, and many more.

In 2010, Sam presided over the Phillips Electrical v. BC Technical case, which involved claims of copyright infringement, trademark infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets.

As a magistrate judge, Sam was instrumental in securing a significant expansion of powers for magistrate judges in Utah.  He was co-chair of the building committee that oversaw construction of the new Federal Court House in Salt Lake City – a state-of-the-art facility that offers vastly improved convenience and security for the public, court staff, judges and prisoners.

Prior to his judgeship, Sam prosecuted a wide range of criminal cases as the first assistant, and chief of the criminal section, at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.  He also worked for the Federal Public Defenders office in Arizona and for two law firms, where he represented a number of clients.