For over 20 years, Amy has handled employment matters, civil rights cases, sophisticated business and commercial disputes, personal injury claims, consumer law issues and more. She has worked in a variety of settings and understands the different pressures faced by the big firm lawyer, the Legal Aid attorney, the solo practitioner, and the individuals they represent. Her substantive experience, as well as her diverse professional background, enables Amy to relate well to the individuals she serves.
In 2013, Amy trained as a mediator and began offering clients mediation services as a means of dispute resolution. Amy has continued training in understanding the nature of conflict, conflict management techniques, working with high conflict individuals, and in other models of dispute resolution. In 2016, Amy became one of only a handful of attorneys in the state trained in the Collaborative Law process for employment matters. Her experience, training, and skill as a dispute resolution professional earned Amy a role as a regular trainer with one or the State’s premier mediation training providers.
In addition to her dispute resolution practice, Amy is very involved in the State and local bar as well as other organizations related to the legal profession. Amy holds a seat on the governing Council of the NCBA’s Dispute Resolution Section, co-chairs the Pro Bono Committee for the Section, and is a member of the NCBA’s Employment Law Section. Amy is also a member of the Mecklenburg County Bar’s Employment Law Section and served on Dispute Resolution Committee of the MCB’s Justice Action Initiative. In 2016, Amy was among 13 other attorneys who founded the North Carolina Civil Collaborative Law Association and currently serves on its Board of Directors. Amy serves the Mecklenburg County Courts as a member of the Civil Courts Standing Committee and Mediation Sub-committee, and has been recognized by the State’s Supreme Court as a member of the North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society.
Experience in Detail
Amy began her career as a business litigation associate at a large and well-respected regional (now international) law firm. There she gained experience handling general contract disputes, UCC and commercial issues, construction cases, and tort claims. She later refined her litigation practice to focus on employment law and a variety of matters related to public education.
After five successful years in private practice, Amy followed a call to public service and became a Legal Aid lawyer serving the needs of North Carolina’s low income citizens. In this role, Amy helped victims of abuse obtain protective orders, assisted clients who had been targeted by consumer scams, and handled countless disputes between landlords and tenants.
As her career progressed, Amy later took on positions that combined professional growth with the ability to meet the needs of her young family. She has served as Special Counsel for another large regional firm, taught at the Charlotte School of Law in its first few years, and served as an adjunct at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. More recently, Amy worked in a small employment law firm helping business clients navigate issues relating to employee discipline, non-competition agreements, leave policies, hiring and pre-employment screening, wage and hour matters, and discrimination claims.
Amy now devotes her practice exclusively to helping organizations and individuals resolve disputes without the need for a trial. Amy offers pre-suit mediation and collaborative law services as well as court-ordered mediation services in Superior Court and federal court cases. Amy also serves as an arbitrator for Civil District Court cases.
In addition, Amy offers workshops and trainings for organizations seeking to better understand conflict and approaches to dispute resolution. She offers advice and facilitation services to help organizations engage successfully when conflict arises.
Leveraging her experience as a litigator, educator, and dispute resolution professional, and organizational advisor, Amy has now co-founded the Dispute Resolution Group, LLC (DRG) with her friend and business partner, Salim Uqdah. The DRG consults with corporate clients, governmental entities, and non-profits to create dispute resolution solutions that enable clients with a high volume of recurring but unavoidable disputes of a similar nature (personnel issues, vendor/supply chain problems, intra-organizational challenges) to manage those disputes effectively and efficiently.
