Class of 1988
After graduating magna cum laude from CSU, Fresno, and with distinction from SJCL, Rene Sample spent eight years as a litigator in insurance defense at McCormick, Barstow, Sheppard, Wayte & Carruth. Later, she formed the firm of Sample & Birch, and worked as in-house counsel for Allstate Insurance. In 2000, Ms. Sample opened a plaintiff’s civil litigation firm with Stephen Cornwell, specializing in jury trial litigation. She has appeared in all State Courts in the San Joaquin Valley, before the United States District Court, and the Fifth District Court of Appeal. In 2015, Cornwell & Sample was the only firm from the Valley featured in U.S. News & World Report on the “Best Law Firms” list, an honor chosen by their peers.
Ms. Sample has served as an adjunct faculty member at SJCL for 15 years, instructing many of the Valley’s litigators in Civil Trial Advocacy. She has tried over 50 jury trials to verdict, and is one of the Valley’s few plaintiff’s lawyers. She is the only female plaintiff’s lawyer to have two personal injury jury verdicts in excess of one million dollars.
Ms. Sample has served as a Judge Pro Tem in Fresno County Superior Court since 1988, and as a judicially appointed arbitrator for the Fresno County Superior Courts since 1993.
She was the first female member of the San Joaquin Valley Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, which selects its members based on jury trial experience, skill, civility, and integrity. Martindale Hubble has voted Ms. Sample one of California’s Preeminent Women Lawyers.
Ms. Sample is a past president of the Central California Trial Lawyers Association. She has served as a board member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, Fresno County Young Lawyers, and Fresno/Merced County Legal Services. She has been the FUSD Mock Trial Coordinator for FCBA, a frequent lecturer on civil litigation, and a member of the Northern California Association of Defense Counsel.
Ms. Sample has coached the Clovis Unified School District Mock Trial team. She served on the boards of the Clovis Junior Soccer League, the American Heart and Muscular Dystrophy Associations, and Valley Public Television.
She has been married to Scott Sample for nearly 30 years, has two adult children, and is an active member of The Well Community Church.