“I have always found Sam’s legal knowledge to be forward thinking, and this attribute, combined with his attention to detail, is the perfect combination to offer exemplary results with any case he has handled.” Nanci Lewis, Account Manager – CCMSI
Sam Barker can’t recall a time when he did not want to be a lawyer. “Since I was 4 or 5 years old, I always wanted to be an attorney,” he said. “I don’t remember ever wavering from that.”
After graduating summa cum laude with a perfect grade point average from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting, Sam earned his Juris Doctor degree from the West Virginia University School of Law. After graduating, he relocated to Charlotte where he spent time visiting friends during school and had grown to appreciate the Queen City’s big-city vibe and lifestyle. He joined Hedrick Gardner’s Charlotte office and later became a partner in the Workers’ Compensation area. He has conducted numerous workers’ compensation hearings and has handled many appeals to the Full Commission and the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
Sam has unique experience helping staffing companies and professional employer organizations. He is familiar with issues specific to these companies, including return to work and average weekly wage issues and devotes a substantial portion of his practice to serving these clients.
Valuing community service, Sam coordinates the firm’s annual participation in the Community Matters Dodgeball Tournament providing major financial support to local charities. In 2007, Hedrick Gardner received the Mecklenburg County Large Firm Pro Bono Award due, in part, to Sam’s contributions as a volunteer attorney to the Council for Children’s Rights since 2004. He is an active member of Forest Hill Church where he often serves as a volunteer for numerous community projects. He is an active member of the North Carolina State Bar, Mecklenburg County Bar Association and the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys.
Sam spends his free time working out and reading thrillers by his favorite authors John Grisham, Dan Brown and James Patterson. He can quote from most episodes of Seinfeld, which he knows by heart and has never known a tropical paradise he didn’t want to visit. Sam and his wife live in Charlotte with their miniature Schnauzer.
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT:
- North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys
- Mecklenburg County Bar Association
- Defense Research Institute
- Council of Children’s Rights
- Volunteer Attorney (2004-present)
HONORS:
- Selected as finalist for North Carolina Lawyers Weekly’s Emerging Legal Leaders Award in 2010
- Selected to the North Carolina Rising Stars List published in Super Lawyers® Magazine in 2012 & 2018 – 2019