Leslie M. Sammis

Leslie M. Sammis is an experienced attorney focused on criminal and DUI defense, as well as civil asset forfeiture in Tampa, FL, with the Sammis Law Firm, P.A. The firm has offices in Tampa in Hillsborough County, Clearwater in Pinellas County, and New Port Richey in Pasco County, FL.

During more than 20 years of practice, Leslie Sammis has represented clients in both misdemeanor and felony DUI cases, as well as asset forfeiture cases in both state and federal court.

As Florida’s State Delegate for NCDD, Leslie Sammis attends at least one NCDD-sponsored seminar per year, where she acts as a host, assisting the Regents and Fellows at seminar receptions and dinners.

On May 4, 2023, she presented the “Case Law Update: Knowledge is Power” at the Masters of DUI 2023: Top-Gun Teaching for Cutting-Edge Advocacy,” a comprehensive, cutting-edge look at the prosecution and defense of alcohol- and drug-related vehicular offenses. The Criminal Law Section of the Florida Bar sponsored the event.

For anyone arrested for DUI in the Tampa Bay area, she provides a free, confidential office or phone consultation to discuss the case.

In addition to her membership in the National College for DUI Defense (NCDD), she is also a member of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL), the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the NORML Legal Committee (NLC), and the DUI Defense Lawyer Association (DUIDLA).

Background in Trial Advocacy

After obtaining her undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1996, Leslie graduated from law school with Honors at the University of Florida College of Law in 1999. She completed internships with:

• the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, working with state prosecutors; and

• the United States Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division.

Leslie Sammis also completed a federal judicial internship with the Honorable Henry Lee Adams, Jr., in the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division.

Leslie’s passion for trial advocacy led her to the public defender’s office in the Fourth Judicial Circuit, where she defended clients in misdemeanor, DUI, and felony cases, including numerous jury trials with “not guilty” verdicts.

In 2008, she co-founded the Sammis Law Firm in downtown Tampa, FL, with her husband, Jason Sammis. The firm has grown to six (6) attorneys focused on criminal, DUI defense, and civil asset forfeiture.