Samantha J. Funt
Biography
Samantha J. Funt is a seasoned trial lawyer and partner at Mitchell Shapiro Greenamyre & Funt, LLP in Atlanta. Her practice focuses on wrongful death, catastrophic injury, medical malpractice, federal civil rights litigation, and complex business disputes.
Ms. Funt brings a rare dual perspective to mediation. She spent five years as an insurance defense attorney at a national law firm representing domestic and international insureds in personal injury, premises liability, negligent security, products liability, commercial, and construction defect matters. She later transitioned to plaintiff-side litigation, where she has handled some of Georgia’s most significant catastrophic injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, constitutional, and government liability cases.
Having worked extensively on both sides of the courtroom, Ms. Funt offers parties a balanced and practical approach to case evaluation, negotiation strategy, and risk assessment. She has taken more than 1,000 depositions and previously taught a Depositions Seminar as an Adjunct Professor at Georgia State University College of Law.
Before entering civil practice, Ms. Funt served as an Assistant Public Defender in Miami-Dade County, where she tried more than twenty-five jury trials as lead counsel in felony matters ranging from drug trafficking to murder. That trial experience gives her a sharp understanding of how cases are evaluated, valued, and resolved, as well as where the true friction points in negotiation often exist.
Throughout her career, Ms. Funt has secured multi-million-dollar and record-setting resolutions in matters involving carbon monoxide brain injuries, wrongful death medical malpractice, custodial death and abuse claims, sexual assault, malicious prosecution, catastrophic boating injuries, and complex injury litigation. She has also managed a business litigation practice involving contractual and construction disputes.
Ms. Funt joins Henning Mediation & Arbitration with extensive courtroom and litigation experience spanning catastrophic injury, wrongful death, business disputes, constitutional litigation, and high-exposure civil matters.
Education
- George Washington University Law School, Juris Doctor (2012)
- Emory University, Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Music Performance (2009)
Professional Licenses and Bar Admissions
- State Bar of Georgia
- State Bar of Florida
- Georgia Court of Appeals
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Employment
- Mitchell Shapiro Greenamyre & Funt, LLP - Partner
- Georgia State University College of Law - Adjunct Professor, Depositions Seminar (2023 to 2024)
- Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP - Attorney
- Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Office - Assistant Public Defender
- Hon. Patrick Michael Duffy, U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina - Judicial Intern
- George Washington University Public Justice Advocacy Clinic - Student Attorney
- United States Department of Justice - Intern
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - Intern
Professional Associations
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association - Chair, LEAD Alumni Committee
- Georgia Trial Lawyers Association - Former Co-Chair, Verdict Magazine
- GTLA Women’s Caucus
- American Association for Justice
- State Bar of Georgia
- State Bar of Florida
ADR Training
- General Civil Mediation Training and Practicum - Miles Mediation & Arbitration
Awards and Honors
- National Trial Lawyers Top 100 - Civil Plaintiff (2024)
- Southern Center for Human Rights Justice Ally of the Year (2024)
- Super Lawyers Rising Star (2022)
- GTLA LEAD Class of 2021
- Wilson Elser National Trial Team
- George Washington University Law School Writing Fellow
- Emory University Honor Council
- Winner, Georgetown White Collar Crime Trial Competition (2011)
Speaking and Teaching Engagements
- Guest Lecturer, Georgia State University College of Law - Depositions Seminar (2021, 2022)
- Guest Lecturer, Emory University School of Law - Section 1983 Constitutional Litigation Seminar
- GTLA Annual Convention - “Non-Party Destruction and the Expanding Reach of Sanctions in Federal Court”
- GTLA Annual Convention - “The Art of Humanizing: Proving Human Damages in Difficult Cases”
- GTLA LEAD Seminar - “Bringing the Heat: Litigation Techniques in Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Cases”
- Cobb County Trial Lawyers Association CLE - “Silent Killer: Effective Advocacy in a Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Case”
- State Bar of Georgia Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Seminar - “Police Accountability: Litigating Misconduct under Section 1983”
- State Bar of Georgia Civil Rights Seminar - “Pursuing Claims for Victims of Custodial Violence in Georgia’s Prisons and Jails”
Community Involvement
- Girl Scout Troop Leader
- Volunteer, Backpack Buddies
- Assistant Coach, Youth Soccer
- Active in local elementary school and music communities
Areas of Expertise
- Personal Injury
- Catastrophic Injury
- Wrongful Death
- Medical Negligence
- Birth Injury
- Medical Malpractice
- Premises Liability
- Negligent Security
- Sexual Assault
- Commercial Litigation
- Business Litigation
- Construction Disputes
- Contract Disputes
- Civil Rights Litigation
- Section 1983 Litigation
- Constitutional Litigation
- Municipal Liability
- Government Liability