Her Story
About Samantha
Samantha Kherkher Ernst is an attorney with experience spanning personal injury, supply chain, commercial, corporate, and transactional law. She currently serves as an Associate Attorney at Kherkher Garcia, LLP, where she has returned to law firm practice with a focus on personal injury matters. Earlier in her career, she practiced supply chain and business law, including representing companies in connection with supply agreements, purchase orders, terms and conditions, confidentiality agreements, and other commercial matters. She also worked in corporate mergers and acquisitions and private equity at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.
Ernst earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Supply Chain Management from the Texas McCombs School of Business before earning her Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law Houston in 2018, graduating Magna Cum Laude. During law school, she served in leadership roles with the Law Review of South Texas College of Law and received the CALI Awards for the highest grades earned in Legal Research & Writing I and II, as well as the 2018 Dean's Citizenship Award. She is licensed to practice law in Texas and Kansas and also completed 90 hours of conflict-resolution training through The University of Texas at Austin.
Throughout her career, Ernst has emphasized relationships, integrity, opportunity, and family. She credits her parents and supportive community with encouraging her to pursue challenging opportunities and take unfamiliar paths. Her professional and personal experiences have also shaped her commitment to Catholic women's ministry and service within her community. She advocates for building genuine relationships, asking for help when necessary, and maintaining integrity while balancing professional responsibilities with family life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Samantha
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to having wonderful parents and growing up in a supportive community of men and women who encouraged me to challenge myself and pursue meaningful opportunities. My parents consistently encouraged me to try different things, take on new experiences, and make the most of opportunities when they arose. Their support taught me to recognize an open door and have the courage to walk through it, even when the path was unfamiliar.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have received is to treat people as people—to get to know colleagues and professional contacts as individuals and friends because they become part of your community and your network. I believe those relationships should be valued and cherished. At the same time, when making career decisions, I have learned to prioritize what is best for me and my family.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young women that they can have it all, but they cannot do it all themselves. In a demanding, high-stress career such as law, it is important to ask for help and to be humble enough to accept it. Delegating responsibilities, hiring help when needed, and leaning on a supportive community—for example, through carpools or other practical support—can make it possible to pursue a demanding career while also being present for the people who matter most.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges for me is balancing the demands of providing excellent service to clients and fulfilling my responsibilities to colleagues while also remaining present for my five children and my husband. A career in law can require significant mental and emotional attention to clients and their needs, which can make it difficult to be fully present outside of work. For women in the legal profession, I believe an important challenge is learning how to remain present with the people around us beyond our professional responsibilities. My faith helps me approach that challenge by reminding me to be present in the moment and attentive to the people and responsibilities directly in front of me.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
One of the biggest challenges for me is balancing the demands of providing excellent service to clients and fulfilling my responsibilities to colleagues while also remaining present for my five children and my husband. A career in law can require significant mental and emotional attention to clients and their needs, which can make it difficult to be fully present outside of work. For women in the legal profession, I believe an important challenge is learning how to remain present with the people around us beyond our professional responsibilities. My faith helps me approach that challenge by reminding me to be present in the moment and attentive to the people and responsibilities directly in front of me.
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