Attorney Sam Eaton graduated from Middlebury College in 1969, and the University of San Diego Law School in 1974, after serving for two years in the U.S. Army.
Sam has practiced criminal law for over 33 years. He began his career as a Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney in 1974, where he prosecuted criminal cases, ran the City Attorney's Training Program, and ultimately was the head deputy of the Downtown Trials Division.
Sam moved to Santa Barbara in 1978, and opened a private practice. Since that time he has tried multiple criminal and civil jury trials. He currently limits his practice to criminal defense. He and Chris Jones opened their firm in 1989, and Cristi Michelon joined them in 2005.
In the course of his career, Sam has taught trial advocacy classes for CEB, the California District Attorney's Association, and the California Public Defender's Association, and is a faculty member at the CPDA Annual Basic Trial Skills Institute. He has also lectured on criminal law and the courts at colleges and high schools.
He has served as a judge pro tem, and court appointed arbitrator. He was a member of the panel which created Santa Barbara County's first bail schedule, and has served on the Santa Barbara County Bar Association's Bench and Bar Committee and Judicial Services Award Committee.
He is a member of the California Public Defenders' Association and California Attorneys for Criminal Justice. Email Sam Eaton.
