Overview
Sam Neel represents clients in complex civil, criminal and administrative matters. He represents clients in litigation, congressional investigations, grand jury investigations and administrative audits and inquiries. He also advises political candidates, individuals, corporations, non-profit organizations, trade associations and PACs on campaign finance, lobbying, pay-to-play and Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) issues.
Sam has extensive experience with the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). He has provided guidance to hundreds of businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals in connection with PPP loans, from affiliation and eligibility issues to loan forgiveness considerations and government audits. He routinely publishes articles and presents during webinars on these issues.
During law school, Sam was on the senior editorial board of the American University Law Review and received the Ira P. Robbins Award as the law review’s most outstanding senior member. He also received honors for his representation of low-income clients as a student attorney in the school’s Civil Advocacy Clinic. Prior to law school, Sam gained legislative experience at the federal and state levels, working for Congressman Jim Cooper in Washington and State Senator Andy Berke in the Tennessee General Assembly.
Sam is committed to pro bono work and is active in the community. He advises nonprofit organizations on a wide variety of issues, represents veterans seeking appeals of adverse disability determinations and counsels clients seeking special education services for children with disabilities. Sam serves on the firm’s pro bono committee and led the DC office’s pro bono month in 2018 and 2019.
Results
Government & Internal Investigations
- Represented clients before the US House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, US Senate Judiciary Committee, US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), the US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
- Represented government officials, companies, corporate executives and individuals in responding to federal grand jury subpoenas and defended clients during interviews with the DOJ and other federal agencies in connection with investigations into various issues, including public corruption, wire and bank fraud, money laundering, FCPA and FARA violations, kickbacks and illegal campaign contributions
- Conducted an internal investigation for a publicly traded technology company’s board audit committee into accounting issues, including revenue recognition, internal controls and senior management conduct. Representation included advising the audit committee in connection with a related SEC investigation
- Conducted internal investigations for healthcare, defense and telecommunications companies that resulted in self-disclosures to government agencies on potential false claims and export control violations
Political Law
- Successfully obtained the FEC’s dismissal of separate complaints filed by watchdog groups against a US Senator’s campaign committee, a Member of Congress’s campaign committee and leadership PAC and individual donors
- Conducted an internal investigation and submitted a self-disclosure of potential campaign finance violations to the FEC on behalf of a US Senator’s campaign committee and leadership PAC that resulted in a favorable settlement with the FEC
- Conducted internal investigations into corporations’ compliance with campaign finance and lobbying laws, regulations and requirements. Implemented lobbying, pay-to-play and FARA compliance policies and programs for corporate clients
Litigation
- Obtained dismissal of complaint and preliminary injunction motion against the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) (OppoBox v. ARIN (E.D. VA. 2018)) and reached a favorable settlement in a related arbitration in 2019
- Obtained dismissal of breach of contract claim against Free File, Inc. (Swanson v. H&R Block (W.D. Mo. 2020))
- Obtained dismissal of federal RICO and accompanying state law claims against the Florida Manufactured Housing Association (Schalamar Creek v. Adler (M.D. Fla. 2019))
- Obtained dismissal of federal RICO claims against the Ford Foundation, Packard Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Energy Foundation and ClimateWorks Foundation (Goldstein v. Climate Action Network (N.D. Tex. 2017))
- Represented a former Member of Congress in connection with a breach of contract suit in DC Superior Court, which resulted in a favorable settlement for the client
- Represented local counties and a citizens group in a federal lawsuit against the US Department of Transportation for violations of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, which resulted in a favorable settlement for the clients
- Obtained summary judgment at the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals on behalf of a defense contractor that had been denied contract costs by the US Army
Pro Bono
- Represented multiple veterans in connection with their appeals of adverse disability determinations by the military
- Represented parents of students with special needs and successfully obtained special services for the children after extensive negotiations with school administrators
- Represented a family facing eviction by their landlord and obtained a favorable settlement that included a $30,000 payment to the family by the landlord
- Assisted with the incorporation of The Freedom Network USA, a national non-profit coalition of service organizations fighting human trafficking
Recognitions
- Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, Alternative Dispute Resolution, 2023-2025
- Thomson Reuters, Stand-out Lawyer – independently rated lawyers, 2023-2024
- District of Columbia Courts, Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2023
Credentials
Education
American University – Washington College of Law, JD, 2014
Vanderbilt University, BA, cum laude, 2008
Admissions
District of Columbia
Courts / Agencies
US District Court for the District of Columbia
