Sammy Epelbaum

How Sammy Helps Clients

Sammy is an experienced litigator who focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, class action defense, and other corporate law matters.

He represents a wide range of businesses, including Fortune 500 companies, closed corporations, high-net worth individuals, and non-profit organizations before state and federal circuit, district and appellate courts and arbitral panels. He also has considerable experience representing non-profit organizations and technology start-up companies.

In addition to his litigation practice, Sammy acts as “outside general counsel” for businesses and non-profit organizations.

Prior to joining Buchanan, he worked at an esteemed boutique litigation firm in Miami. He also has in-house experience. He was Director of Compliance at a social services technology company and served as the In-House General Counsel to Our Kids of Miami-Dade and Monroe, Inc. ("Our Kids"), a $100 million a year 501(c)(3) corporation that was charged by the State of Florida as the lead agency for community-based foster care and related services in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, Florida. In his in-house roles, Sammy created, among other things, the internal legal departments of these organizations, oversaw human resources, liaised with governmental regulators, insurers, and outside counsel, and created and/or revised the organizations’ internal operating policies and procedures. Sammy also advised Our Kids’ Board of Trustees on all corporate governance issues and created and led its risk management committee.

Sammy was honored by the Cuban American Bar Association for his service as the Co-Chair of the CABA Briefs Committee in 2023 and recognized with the Outstanding Member Award in 2022 . He is an “AV” rated lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Florida Super Lawyers.

What Clients Can Expect

Clients value that Sammy totally immerses himself in their business or non-profit to completely understand how it operates. He offers an analytical approach to mitigating risk and reaching objectives with creative, efficient legal strategy.

My experience as both a litigator and in-house attorney has taught me how legal decisions affect business objectives, allowing me to effectively and strategically serve my clients both in the courtroom and in the boardroom.

Outside the Office

Sammy currently resides in Miami Beach, with his wife Ailin, a veterinarian, their beautiful son, Ben, and their rescue, a chorky named Lily.

Proof Points

• Served as part of trial team that obtained a $26 million Final Arbitral Award from the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (the “ICC”) on behalf of one of the world’s largest producers and suppliers of fresh produce and vegetables.
• Serves as trial counsel to an e-commerce company in consumer litigation across the country.
• Served as part of defense team that represented various national air carriers that obtained dismissals of numerous consumer class action lawsuits that alleged violations of, among other things, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”), unfair business practices, false advertising, and assorted state statutory schemes.
• Serves as outside general counsel to a global award-winning hospitality and foodservice brand.
• Served as part of appellate team that obtained one of the first opinions in Florida granting a website operator complete immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.