Samuel D. Jackson, Esq. Founding Partner | Civil Litigation, Funeral Home Litigation & Family Law

As one of the founding partners of Ratliff Jackson, LLP, Attorney Samuel D. Jackson is committed to successfully helping clients reach ideal outcomes, whether through negotiated settlements, winning at trial, or overturning unfavorable results on appeal.

Originally from Central Florida, Sam attended Rice University in Houston, Texas, as a National Merit Scholar, where he studied orchestral trombone performance and conducted know-your-rights seminars for the Rice University ACLU.

Sam earned his law degree from Fordham University School of Law, where he served as the Director of the Suspension Representation Project and as an editor of Fordham’s International Law Journal, and spent a summer clerking in the chambers of Supreme Court Justice Adrian Hardiman of Ireland.

Funeral Home Litigation

Sam leads the firm’s funeral home litigation practice, representing families across New Jersey when a funeral home’s negligence, misconduct, or breach of trust compounds the worst moment of their lives. He handles cases involving mishandled or desecrated remains, wrong-body burials and cremations, lost or switched cremated remains, violations of religious burial instructions, embalming negligence, theft of personal property, and funeral home fraud and overcharging.

These cases demand a litigator who understands both the legal doctrine and the human stakes. Sam approaches funeral home negligence claims through New Jersey’s Right of Sepulcher doctrine, the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, and claims for negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress — building cases that hold facilities accountable while securing the compensation families are entitled to for the harm caused.

Civil Litigation, Family Law & Beyond

Sam’s broader practice focuses on civil litigation, where he represents both plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury, civil rights, consumer fraud, breach of contract and business litigation, student and professional license defense, and family law, including custody, divorce, and domestic violence matters.

Admissions

Sam is admitted to practice law in all of the Municipal Courts and Superior Courts of the State of New Jersey, and holds federal admissions to practice in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the District of New Jersey Bankruptcy Court, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.