Phillip Sampson Jr. ’90 and William Toles ’92, ’95L Named Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers The College is one of the premier legal associations in North America.

W&L News Office
March 20, 2024

Two Washington and Lee University alumni, Phillip Sampson Jr. ’90 and William Toles ’92, ’95L, were recently named fellows of the American College of Trial Layers, one of the premier legal associations in North America. Sampson is a partner at Bracewell in Houston, and Toles is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt in Dallas.

Founded in 1950, the College is an invitation-only fellowship of exceptional trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds from both the United States and Canada. Members are chosen though their demonstration of the very highest standards of trial advocacy, ethical conduct, integrity, professionalism and collegiality. Membership in the College cannot exceed 1% of the total lawyer population of any state or province.

Phillip Sampson Jr. ’90

Sampson represents clients in a diverse range of complex business litigation and arbitration matters involving the energy, construction, manufacturing, steel, oil field services, chemical, petrochemical, software, financial services, consumer products and real estate sectors. He also co-chairs the firm’s construction litigation practice group.

Sampson has spent decades aggressively advocating for his clients’ interests in complex business disputes and has handled a number of appeals at the state and federal level. His significant courtroom experience led to his admission as a member in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). VerdictSearch’s “Top Texas Verdicts” has recognized him twice (2009 and 2010) for jury verdicts he obtained involving fraud and breach of contract. He was named the Texas “Litigator of the Week” by the Texas Lawyer in October 2015 for his defense victory in a $25 million commercial dispute, and he has been recognized in The Legal 500 United States (2011-2015, 2016, 2018 and 2023), Best Lawyers in America (2021-2024) and Chambers USA (2013 and 2014).

In addition, Sampson has served in various firm management roles at Bracewell, including membership on the firm’s Management Committee, as hiring partner and as a member of the Associate Evaluation Committee.

William Toles ’92, ’95L

A member of the W&L Board of Trustees since 2016, Toles is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt in Dallas. He has successfully tried more than 70 civil jury trials to verdict. In addition, his trial experience throughout Texas includes tort litigation, ranging from negligence and transportation matters to more complex premises liability, Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA), commercial and contractual dispute litigation. He has been selected by D Magazine as one of the “Best Lawyers in Dallas” since 2016.

In addition, Toles is a member of the ABOTA National Executive Committee. He is also a member of the International Society of Barristers (ISOB). Memberships for ABOTA and ISOB are both by invitation only and involve a rigorous screening process that takes into consideration each lawyer’s ability, experience, accomplishments and ethical standards as assessed by trial lawyers and judges.

In addition to his service on the W&L Board, Toles is a class agent for his law school class and a member of the advisory council for the Dallas alumni chapter. He is a former member of the Washington and Lee Alumni Board, former president of the Law Council and former chair of the Washington and Lee Law Annual Fund.