A tenacious bi-lingual litigator, Sam Ansell joined the Indiana Federal Community Defender’s Office in 2019, following a long career in private practice. Upon graduation from law school, Sam started a small law practice and has fiercely defended criminal cases since that time. In private practice, Sam served those who could not afford private attorneys by working both as a conflict attorney for the Marion County Public Defender’s Office and in the federal courts through service as a Criminal Justice Act panel attorney.
During his years of practice Sam made a name for himself as both a dedicated trial lawyer and appellate advocate. In the district court, Sam won a trial in the Northern District of Indiana, resulting in a not guilty for his client. He then worked on the appeal of one of the co-defendants and three hours after arguing the case before the Seventh Circuit, the Court of Appeals ordered acquittals for all defendants on one count and remanded for a new trial on the remaining count. United States v. Borrero, 771 F.3d 973 (7th Cir. 2014). Sam also successfully petitioned the United States Supreme Court in an Indiana state court case resulting in a reversal of the Indiana Court of Appeals decision and a remand for further consideration. Kaushal v. Indiana, 138 S.Ct. 2567 (2018).
In addition to his criminal work, Sam is a fully bi-lingual Spanish speaking attorney. During his undergraduate he studied for two semesters in Spain and in his private practice 80% of his clients were Spanish speaking. Sam also used that skill to represent clients in removal proceedings before the Immigration Court in Chicago.
A dedicated father, Sam unwinds by spending time with his young family.