Mark D. Samson
Phoenix
3101 North Central Avenue, Suite 1400
Phoenix, AZ 85012
As a licensed veterinarian, Mark has the medical knowledge to help his clients get the results they deserve. Given his strong medical science background, Mark's practice focuses on tort law, including medical negligence, product liability, and other significant personal injury cases. He has nearly 35 years of experience litigating medical malpractice cases with victories including the landmark Edwards verdict and a transfusion-associated AIDS case that remains one of the largest personal injury verdicts in Arizona history. Mark was born in New York, but he moved to the Phoenix area in 1959 and grew up there. He practiced from 1986 to 1995 at Meyer, Hendricks, Victor, Osborn & Maledon, becoming a member in 1992. In 1995, Mark formed Dalton Gotto Samson & Kilgard, P.L.C. ("DGSK") and was one of the members of DGSK who formed Keller Rohrback P.L.C. in 2002.
Professional and Civic Involvement
Maricopa County Bar Association, Member
Arizona State Bar Association, Member
American Association for Justice, Member
Arizona Association for Justice, Sustaining Member
Articles & Presentations
Chairman, Maricopa County Bar Association, Seminar on Anatomy, 1994.
Speaker, National Meeting of American Veterinary Medical Law Association, Tort and regulatory issues affecting veterinarians,1995.
Chair, Maricopa County Bar Association, Seminar on Medical Malpractice in the Ages of Disclosure.
Speaker, Arizona Trial Lawyers Association Medical Malpractice Seminar, Use of medical literature in the courtroom, 1996.
Speaker, Arizona Trial Lawyers Association Medical Malpractice Seminar, New legal theories in medical malpractice, 1999.
Co-Chair, Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, Anatomy of Pain, 2002.
Speaker, Arizona Veterinary Medical Association, Application of legal principles to veterinary medicine, 1999-2003.
Speaker, Arizona Paralegal Association, Settlement conferences versus trial in medical malpractice cases, 2002.
Speaker, Arizona Paralegal Association, Changes and issues in Arizona's ethical rules for attorneys, 2003.
Maricopa County Bar Association, Punitive Damages after Campbell v. State Farm, May 2003.
Chairman, Arizona State Bar, New Ethical Rules in Arizona, Oct. 2003.
Maricopa County Bar Association, Liens Again, 2004.
Maricopa County Bar Association, Arizona Appellate Update, 2005.
Co-Chairman, Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, Liens, Jan. 2006.
Blackwell's 5-Minute Veterinary Manager, Negotiation, 2006.
Chairman, Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, Rapid Fire on Litigation Issues, Oct. 2006.
Co-Chairman, Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, Trial Practice - Damages, 2007.
Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, Issues in FTCA Claims, 2008.
Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, Loss of a Chance in Med Mal Cases, 2008.
Arizona State Bar, Comparing Veterinary and Legal Ethics, 2009.
Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, Trial Masters: A Look Inside the Value Options Case & Tools for Difficult Cases, 2011.
Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, Medical Malpractice Seminar, 2013.
Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, From the Heart: Letting Go in Front of the Jury, 2015.
Arizona Paralegal Association, Health Law – Medical Malpractice in Today’s World, 2016.
Arizona State University College of Law, Health Law and Policy, 2016.
Maricopa County Association of Paralegals, Personal Injury Law in Arizona, 2018.
American Veterinary Medical Law Association, The Lawyer’s Role in Meeting 21st Century Changes in Veterinary Medicine, 2018.
Honors & Awards
Best Lawyers in America®, Phoenix, Arizona:
• Medical Malpractice Practice, 2022-2024
• Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, 2023-2024
• Plaintiffs Product Liability Litigation, Phoenix, 2024
Selected to Super Lawyers list in Super Lawyers - Southwest, 2008 - 2021
Practice Emphasis
Education
Arizona State UniversityB.S., summa cum laude, 1976, Bio-Ag Sciences
Washington State University College of Veterinary MedicineD.V.M., summa cum laude, 1980
Washington State University College of Veterinary MedicineM.S., 1983, Veterinary Anatomy
Arizona State University College of LawJ.D., summa cum laude, 1986, Order of the Coif
Bar and Court Admissions
1986, Arizona
2008, Washington, D.C.
