07/23/2020
NICOLE A. SAMUEL is the founder and owner at Samuel Law, P.C.
Nicole is an experienced trial attorney and tenacious litigator. Nicole was initially hired out of law school by the prestigious big law firm Warner Norcross + Judd (WNJ) to work in their litigation department. She was then offered partnership at her mentor’s firm and elected to leave her job in big law to start a firm with her law partner, Lucas X. Dillon (Dillon & Samuel Trial Attorneys). Nicole has since opened her own firm, Samuel Law, P.C., in further pursuit of her lifelong passion in trial work, criminal defense, and family law.
Nicole handles high stakes litigation matters specializing in both criminal defense and family law trial work. As for criminal defense, Nicole is experienced in and regularly works both state and federal level criminal cases from the start of police investigation throughout trial.
Nicole has experience in litigating everything from life offense felony trials, where she succeeded in securing a dismissal for her client, to federal drug conspiracy trials. Nicole has secured acquittals for numerous clients charged with both misdemeanors and felonies for violent crimes, s*x crimes, drug cases, and firearm offenses—to name a few. Nicole fights for her clients from start to finish and is always ready and willing to take her clients’ cases to trial to defend them to the fullest extent possible. In family law, Nicole regularly litigates all aspects of divorce cases from start to finish and all types of post-judgment issues, including child custody.
In light of her passion to practice criminal defense, Nicole attended Michigan State University (MSU) where she studied Criminal Justice and the Philosophy of Law. During this time, Nicole completed an internship with a local criminal defense firm where she participated in assisting with all aspects of handling criminal cases, including, most notably, an attempted murder trial. This solidified her desire to practice criminal defense. Nicole then graduated from MSU in 3.5 years with honors. Having thoroughly succeeded in her undergraduate program, Nicole earned a full tuition scholarship to attend law school at Michigan State University College of Law.
Nicole attended MSU as a Kings Scholar in the College of Law’s Academic Honors Program. During law school Nicole worked as the Managing Editor for Michigan State University Law Review, she earned numerous awards for her top grades, was continuously on the honor roll, and competed on MSU College of Law’s Moot Court National Competition Team where she won awards for both best individual oral advocate and argumentative brief writing. Nicole also worked for the Shiawassee County Prosecutor’s Office, which gave her insight on how prosecutors handle cases and further solidified her passion to practice criminal defense.
Nicole graduated at the very top of her class with a near perfect GPA, receiving her law degree at MSU College of Law summa cm laude, and was Order of the Coif. Nicole then started as a litigation associate at Warner where she specialized in state and federal criminal defense and family law. Although Nicole loved her time and experience in big law, she was passionate about owning her own firm to pursue trial work in criminal defense and family law. She took her big firm talent, determination, work ethic, and experience and obtained ownership of her own firm specializing in trial work.
Nicole continues to further her legal education and develop her trial skills set on a regular basis. She has participated in the very well-respected Hillman Trial Advocacy Program and the prestigious invitation-only American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) Trial Training Program. Additionally, she has completed a SCAO-Approved Advanced Mediation Training at the Dispute Resolution Center of West Michigan and regularly attends criminal defense and family law related trainings and seminars to stay up to date on cutting edge law.
Originally from Commerce Township, Michigan—a suburb located in the Metro Detroit area—Nicole currently resides in DeWitt, Michigan with her husband Rick, her daughter Grace, and their two cats. In her free time, you will find Nicole with her family and friends; with a book in her hands; or spending time at her family’s lake house in Traverse City, Michigan.
