A native of Charleston, Sam graduated from Porter Gaud School and matriculated to the University of South Carolina, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, as a history major and political science minor. He remained at the University of South Carolina for law school, where he received the CALI award for academic excellence in Products Liability and obtained a Juris Doctorate. Sam moved to New York City following law school to continue his education at New York Maritime College, where he graduated with honors with a Master of Science in International Transportation Management and Merchant Marine deck officer’s license.

Sam has sailed deep sea as a deck officer on unlimited tonnage vessels for leading international container liner Maersk. He currently holds United States Coast Guard licenses as a Second Mate Any Gross Tons Oceans and as a Master Not More Than One Hundred Tons Near Coastal. Sam has also served as an Adjunct Professor in the Naval Science Department at The Citadel, instructing senior Naval ROTC cadets in terrestrial navigation and the nautical Rules of the Road.

Sam has been licensed since 2008 and practices in the areas of admiralty, maritime, dram shop, liquor liability, liquor licensing, negligent security, hospitality industry, premises liability, specialty commercial, personal injury and general litigation. His education and experiences prior to working as an attorney have allowed him to develop a unique insight into these practice areas.

Sam practiced for a number of years at Clawson & Staubes, LLC, a leading multi-state insurance defense firm, giving him significant insight into how insurance companies handle claims.  He co-founded Clawson Fargnoli, LLC in 2017 and now represents only plaintiffs in personal injury cases, with a focus on litigating claims involving serious bodily injury or death arising in the context of boating and personal water craft accidents, dram shop / liquor liability accidents and daycare facility abuse and neglect, prescription errors, major trip and falls, motor vehicle accidents and wrongful death.