Our Team

Sam Sneed — ES&A

Director, Attorney
Practice Areas

Business Strategy
Government Contracts 
Intellectual Property

Education and Certification

William S. Richardson School of Law (J.D.)
University of Denver (M.B.A; B.S. in Electrical Engineering)

Admitted to Practice

Hawai`i
U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai`i

Sam Sneed’s practice focuses on the intersection of business, law and technology. Download her info sheet. She regularly advises and trains clients on areas of law including:

  • Intellectual property protection and transfer
  • Corporate governance and fiduciary duties
  • Business formation, transactions, and dissolution
  • Government contracts and grants
  • Confidentiality, privacy and cybersecurity

Sam aims to provide practical, comprehensive guidance grounded in the perspectives of technologists, businesspeople, and those they serve. By advising clients on how to protect, use, share, and commercialize information and technology, Sam helps for-profit, non-profit and government organizations to align their human and technological resources.

In an increasingly networked world, Hawaii-based clients benefit from collaboration at local, national and international levels. Through active engagement in Hawaii’s business and educational communities, and ES&A’s global network, the Employment Law Alliance (ELA), Sam and the ES&A team serve as a gateway to potential partners, scholarship, and legal expertise around the world. 

As laws change in response to rapidly evolving technology, clients benefit from Sam’s continuous focus on collaborative research and legal scholarship. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) with the International Association of Privacy Professionals, and is a regular speaker and participant in local and national events on information security, STEM education, and technology policy. Her research fopcuses on growth areas such as:

  • Cybersecurity
  • Tech transfers and export controls
  • Personal data protection and usage
  • Rights in access to information, the open source movement, and internet neutrality
  • Artificial intelligence (AI), labor rights, and workforce development
  • Protection of indigenous and traditional knowledge
  • Geographic identifiers and sui generis protections
  • Regulation of emerging technologies

Sam holds a BS in electrical engineering and an MBA from the University of Denver and is a graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law. Her past experience includes policy research for the Hawai`i Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) Energy Planning and Policy Office, and assisting in design and validation of SCADA electrical grid displays for the U.S. Department of Energy Western Area Power Administration office in Folsom, California. 

Prior Experience
  • Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing, Associate (2013-2015)
  • State of Hawai`i Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), Strategic Industries Division, Energy Planning and Policy Office, Intern (2013)
  • Hawaii Procurement Institute, pro bono Intern (2011-2012)
  • U.S. Department of Energy, Western Area Power Administration, Sierra Nevada Region, SCADA Department, Intern (2009)
Affiliations
  • Hawaii State Bar Association
  • PCATT (Pacific Center for Advanced Technology Training), Industry Advisory Board 
  • CyberHawaii, Education & Workforce Development Committee, Co-Chair
  • Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE)
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Awards and Honors
  • Best Lawyers Ones to Watch (2022-present)
  • Super Lawyers Rising Star (2017) 
Recent Speaking Engagements
  • Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) Hawaii Chapter, “How to Make the Case for Cybersecurity” (September 2020)
  • BSides Hawaii, “Getting a Hand on the Helm: How to Make Your Case to Leadership on Cybersecurity” (February 2020)
  • Society for Human Resources Management, Hawaii Educational Foundation, “Partners in Anti-Crime: The HR + IT Cybersecurity Collaboration” (July 2019)
  • Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Assn., Hospitality IT Council, “Digital Literacy & Collaboration: Critical Workplace Skills” (May 2019)
  • University of Hawaii at Manoa, Shidler College of Business, Panelist, “Building a Cybersecurity Program to Size” (March 2019)
  • ES&A Webinar, “In a BYOD World, Secure the Device and Secure the Human” (July 2018)
  • AFCEA Hawaii, TechNet Asia Pacific, Panelist, “Leadership for the Next Cyber Operations Generation” (November 2017)
  • HSBA, Bar Convention, Panelist “How Hawaii Solo and Small Firms are Leveraging Technology” (October 2017)
  • ES&A Webinar, “Cybersecurity Hygiene” (June 2017)
  • ES&A Webinar, “Update on the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act” (March 2017)
  • AFCEA Hawaii, TechNet Asia Pacific, CEU “Privacy and Security Compliance Overview” (November 2016)

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