Sam Kleiner is a partner in the Investigations & White Collar Defense practice and Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering group in the New York office. Sam’s practice focuses on regulatory enforcement defense, white-collar criminal defense, compliance counseling and complex litigation, frequently with a cross-border dimension. He regularly represents the world’s largest banks, fintech companies, investment funds and technology companies across a range of issues, including economic sanctions, anti-money laundering (AML), Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and data privacy matters.

Sam is a leading authority on sanctions and AML issues. He serves as vice chair of the American Bar Association’s International Anti-Money Laundering Committee and has been a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is an active thought leader and serves on the banking editorial board for Law360. His articles have appeared in Bloomberg Law, Law360, Corporate Compliance Insights and CLS Blue Sky Blog. He regularly provides training to legal and compliance departments at major financial institutions and speaks to industry groups such as the American Bankers Association and the Institute of International Bankers. 

Sam previously served as a senior advisor to the general counsel and the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. During this experience, Sam advised on sanctions, anti-money laundering, CFIUS and litigation matters. Notably, he was awarded the Treasury Department’s Exceptional Service medal by Secretary Janet Yellen. He also previously served as a senior deputy associate counsel at the White House and as a law clerk law clerk to Honorable Gerard E. Lynch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Prior to joining Paul Hastings, Sam was of counsel at another leading global law firm, where he was part of the Litigation and Economic Sanctions & AML practices. 

Sam is the author of the best-selling book, The Flying Tigers, published by Penguin Random House. Inspired by his grandfather’s service in World War II, Sam’s book tells the story of American pilots in China in World War II. It was featured in national media, including The Wall Street Journal and CNN, and described by critics as “read[ing] like an adventure story” and a “terrific” book that brings the pilots’ “compelling stories” to life. 

Sam earned his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was a Coker Fellow in constitutional law. He received his B.A. cum laude from Northwestern University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and also received a D.Phil. in International Relations from the University of Oxford, where he was a Marshall Scholar. Sam is admitted to practice in New York. 

• Treasury Exceptional Service Medal, U.S. Department of the Treasury

• Yale Law School, J.D.
• University of Oxford, D.Phil (Marshall Scholar)
• Northwestern University, B.A. (cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa)