Samantha Espada (Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice)

Samantha Espada (she/her) earned her J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law with a certificate in the rule of law and constitutional design. There, she was recognized by Indiana University with the Terry and Judy Albright Pro Bono and Public Interest Award and the John T. Edwards Fellowship for her public service, exemplary character, and academic ability that “promises dividends for society.” While at Maurer, she was the Student Director of the Incarcerated Individuals’ Legal Assistance Project, President of the Latinx Law Student Association, and Attorney General for the National Latina/o Law Student Association. She also participated in the New York Pro Bono Scholars Program, where she took and passed the New York Bar Examination prior to graduation and spent a semester working as a full-time extern with the Bronx Defenders. Samantha spent her summers interning with the Criminal Appeals Bureau at the Legal Aid Society of New York City and the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU). Prior to law school, Samantha worked in the U.S. Senate for Senators Warren and Gillibrand and served as a New York Coro Fellow in Public Affairs. She holds a B.A. in Women and Gender Studies and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.