About Samuel Slater
Samuel Slater Bakhtavar earned a Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law in 2003 and completed an LL.M. in International Law at Loyola Marymount University in 2006. Those degrees shape how he approaches legal questions. The J.D. provided his foundation in litigation and transactional work. The LL.M. introduced deeper study of cross-border rules, treaties, and comparative systems.
He pursued additional training in dispute resolution, earning a certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the University of Georgia Law. That coursework exposed him to mediation techniques, negotiation strategies, and arbitration procedures. It also gave him tools to handle conflicts outside of a courtroom when that route better served clients.
In 2009 he established Bakhtavar & Associates, PLLC and has held ownership and membership in that firm since then. He built the practice from its early days. Running a small firm has required him to handle casework, supervise any staff, and manage the business side of practice. The record shows a continuous association with the firm from 2009 through the present.
Bakhtavar’s educational path suggests interests in both domestic practice and matters that touch on international rules. His law school training and graduate study in international law intersect with his ADR certificate. Together they inform case evaluation, client counseling, and choice of dispute-resolution processes. He draws on the LL.M. course work when examining treaties, jurisdictional questions, or conflicts of law.
Colleagues describe him as methodical in preparing cases and pragmatic in assessing risk. Clients typically encounter a lawyer who prioritizes clear options and candid assessments. He tends to outline potential outcomes and likely costs early in an engagement. That approach helps clients decide whether to pursue negotiation, mediation, arbitration, or litigation.
Outside the office, his academic record includes study at institutions in Texas and California, and later instruction at a national ADR program. He has kept his practice centered on the firm he founded, handling matters that may require attention to procedural detail and international context. As of 2026, he continues to practice through Bakhtavar & Associates, PLLC, focusing on matters informed by his international law background and dispute resolution training.
