Sam Getrich
Attorney
Phone:
209-661-9516
Email:
20 Years of Saving and Changing Lives
A Bit About Me
I grew up in the Valley, earning my Bachelor's degree in History at UOP in Stockton. I then spent ten years working as an Emergency Medical Technician here in Modesto. I've saved numerous lives in incredibly adverse environments and treated every one of my patients with respect.
I attended McGeorge School of Law multiple nights a week after working 12 hour shifts in an ambulance and earned my Juris Doctorate. I had my law school text books on the dashboard of the ambulance and between calls I would study.
Nine years as Deputy District Attorney in Modesto and another three years as a criminal defense attorney gave me time to earn the respect of local judges, law enforcement and deputy district attorneys.
After twenty years of saving lives and doing jury trials I'm comfortable under pressure and excel in stressful conditions.
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Sam's service to Stanislaus County has been recognized and earned the respect of local judges, law enforcement, the district attorney's office and fellow defense attorneys. Raised in Manteca, educated at UOP in Stockton and with a decade working as a first responder on the streets of Stanislaus County, Sam has deep local roots with extensive connections to everyone involved in law enforcement. During his career as a first responder his high LSAT score (Law School Admission Test) earned him a scholarship at UOP's McGeorge School of Law which he attended at night for four years after working 12 hour shifts saving lives on the local ambulance service. After passing the bar on his first attempt, he spent ten years as a Deputy District Attorney for Stanislaus County in Modesto and became the arson prosecutor. He remains the most highly trained attorney in the area of arson practicing in Stanislaus County.
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Sam went into private practice in 2007 as a partner in a local firm, doing civil law and pro bono criminal defense work. He then transitioned into full-time criminal defense working for a private firm and then the Stanislaus County Public Defender's office where he successfully resolved the most high profile murder case in the county before he left the office for private practice.
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In 2019, after being approached by judges, attorneys and law enforcement, Sam ran for Superior Court Judge as a criminal defense attorney. He was backed by a number of judges, the Modesto Police Officers Association, Modesto City Firefighters, labor groups and local defense attorneys.
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He has over a decade of trial experience and has handled essentially every area of criminal law including murder cases, special circumstance murders, drug possession, and possession for sales.
His years of service as a first responder taught him triage - which is a method of prioritizing and limiting care to patients when the caseload overwhelms the provider. Unlike other firms, Sam does not take every case. He does not overload himself as he understands triage and will not ignore a client or take a clients money and then focus his time and energy on another.