Her Story
About Amanda
My journey into law was unexpected. I originally studied early childhood development and was headed toward teaching or social work. I started in family and criminal law, which became my passion after experiencing injustice in my own life that struck a fire in me and made me want to help others get justice.
I've been involved with personal injury law for the last 8 years, but I'm now transitioning to independent contract work in family law, which has always been my heart.
My proudest achievements come from justice received for others.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Amanda
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my core values: honesty, integrity, trust, and reliability. Those are my driving factors in everything I do in life.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Always be honest and humble, but know your worth.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell them to go for it and don't doubt themselves and their knowledge. Be headstrong with respect, because 9 out of 10 times, they're up against males. There's very few female attorneys out there. Whether you're being employed by a woman or man, I think you're gonna have to have a backbone, be strong-minded, and have confidence in your knowledge and what you know you are capable of doing.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think some of the biggest challenges right now for paralegals is being respected and seen for their knowledge and skill set. A lot of attorneys rely on us to do so much, and they get the credit for it at the end of the day, they get the monetary value for it. They sometimes lose sight of the fact that if we weren't there, they would be doing these things, and they don't know have the time to do the work. I've told all paralegals that have come in that you are the wizard in Wizard of Oz, and just go ahead and accept that now. When they pull the curtain back and realize it later on, you'll be respected for it. Just go ahead and do your part, and be the wizard, and make it all work.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty is the number one value for me. I hold that very highly, along with integrity, trust, and reliability. Those are my driving factors in my personal life. That's what I expect from my children and what I expect to give them. Same for my marriage - we built our marriage on those very values. I just feel like any relationship, whether it is personal or if it is professional, if it does not have those core things, it's just gonna fall apart.
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