Amy Garrett - Edwardsville, IL

Overview

Amy Garrett's legal career has been focused on helping victims of asbestos-related cancers, including mesothelioma, receive the compensation and justice they deserve with especially enjoying working with U.S. veterans and their families.

Amy has a genuine interest in every person’s story. She firmly believes it’s her job to empower clients to fight for themselves and their families. She prides herself on the personal attention she gives to each and every client’s case that crosses her desk.

As an undergraduate, Amy attended and graduated from the University of Ilinois at Champaign-Urbana with a B.A. in English before persuing her law degree at Washington University School of Law.

It has always been important for Amy to give back to her community in and out of the courtroom and to support veterans. In 2008, she collaborated with the Veterans’ Legal Support Clinic (VLSC) at John Marshall Law School to facilitate training for volunteer attorneys who were willing to represent veterans in their Veterans’ Administration claims. VLSC is an invaluable resource for veterans and their families who are attempting to navigate an often complex and difficult legal administrative process. VLSC can make the difference between a veteran receiving or not receiving their earned benefits.

Following this success, Amy was instrumental in working to form an Illinois pro bono program. She collaborated with Chief Judge Ann Callis of the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court and the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) to identify the communities in-need that could benefit from these services. Amy trained attorneys who offered free representation to minors and disabled adults in custody and guardianship disputes. The ISBA awarded the firm the John C. McAndrews Award in 2009, which honors members of the legal profession who have shown extraordinary commitment to providing free legal services to the poor.