Maggie Samec
Maggie is a seasoned attorney of more than two decades and has practiced criminal law since 2009. She was a felony prosecutor for thirteen years, then a state public defender, before finding her home in private defense. She fights for clients facing state and federal charges. Maggie also represents clients under criminal investigation or who are the subject of other investigations such as child protection, college/university Title IX, and Minnesota Department of Human Rights violations. She calls on her experience as a former child protection attorney, family law attorney, and domestic abuse prosecutor to help clients navigate domestic-related matters, including Orders for Protection and Harassment Restraining Orders.
Licenses
- Minnesota District Court, 2001
- United States District Court, District of Minnesota, 2003
Education
- J.D., University of Minnesota Law School, 1999
- B.A., University of Minnesota, 1995
Distinctions
- Felony prosecutor, 2009 – 2022
- CJA Panel Attorney, Federal Public Defender, 2023 - present
- Panel Attorney, Legal Defense Fund for Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, 2024 – present
- Representative for the Minnesota State Bar Association to the Minnesota Judicial Branch’s Justice Partner Access User Group, 2024 - present
- Governing Council Member, Criminal Law Section, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2023 – present
- Presenter, MSBA CLEs for Criminal Law and Animal Law Sections
- Board Member, Criminal Defense Services, Inc., 2011 – 2022
- Member, Ramsey County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, 2020 – 2022
- Member, State Auto Theft Prevention Advisory Board, 2010 – 2019
- Member, Ramsey County Ethics Committee, 2015 – 2016
More About Maggie
Maggie felt called to be a lawyer when she was ten years old. She was inspired to be a voice for those who didn’t have one due to her 5th-grade teacher, who infused his classroom with history and current events related to human rights. At the University of Minnesota Law School, Maggie represented asylum seekers as a student attorney. She received a Minnesota Justice Foundation summer grant and worked at Anishinabe Legal Services. After a slight detour to New Orleans after law school, Maggie came back home to Minnesota and practiced family law before becoming a government attorney. As an assistant county attorney, her caseload consisted of child protection, administrative law, guardianship law, and civil commitment appellate work before she switched to adult felony prosecution in 2009.
Maggie is well known for her thoroughness and ability to analyze a case quickly. She brings empathy to her practice of law and truly cares about her clients’ well-being.