Amy Newman

Writer

Amy Newman is a freelance writer living in Anchorage, Alaska, with more than 10-years of experience writing for a variety of print, online, and business publications. She earned a dual bachelor's degree in journalism and criminal justice from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and a law degree from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

Expertise

Parenting,Wills and Probate Work

Occupation

  • Freelance Writer
  • Lawyer

Education

  • George Washington University: B.A. Journalism, B.S. Criminal justice
  • Pepperdine University

Detailed Experience

Amy has written on a wide range of subjects, but her passion and expertise lie in the areas of parenting and early childhood, special needs, estate planning and probate, divorce and child custody, and domestic violence and sexual assault.

As a professional writer, Amy's goal is to deliver complex subject matters to readers in an engaging and understandable way.

Parenting and Special Needs Background

Amy is the mother of triplet girls born 10 weeks premature - a pair of identicals and a fraternal. One of the identical daughters was stillborn due to a rare brain defect; the other has cerebral palsy, spends several hours each week in physical and occupational therapies, attends school under an IEP (individualized education plan), and uses an electric wheelchair.

Amy is knowledgeable in traditional and non-traditional therapeutic and treatment options for gross and fine motor delays. She also has first-hand knowledge on raising multiples and is sensitive to the topic of neonatal and early infant loss.

Amy graduated cum laude from the Pepperdine University School of Law and is licensed to practice in Alaska and Illinois. She actively practiced in Juneau, Alaska for seven years, focusing primarily on estate planning, probate, small business formation, and divorce/child custody.

Wills and Probate Work

Amy has written hundreds of wills and trusts for both taxable and non-taxable estates and has litigated issues concerning creditor claims in probates, the legitimization of heirs, and the responsibility of a deceased condo owner's estate to pay for damage to common areas caused by his death.

Published Author

Amy's articles on a variety of legal topics - including the importance of having a will, obtaining guardianship of an adult, and an outline of the probate process - have been published in nonprofit handbooks, regional magazines, and online legal sites. Her book, Planning for Your Special Needs Child, is a practical, nuts and bolts legal guide to what parents need to know in regard to planning for their special needs child's physical and financial future.

Work With Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Issues

Amy has a long history of working with domestic violence and sexual assault survivors. In college she interned with the Sex Crimes Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, and volunteered with the D.C. Rape Crisis Center, working the crisis call hotline and accompanying survivors to the hospital and police station for rape kit exams and interviews.

Legal Advocacy Project Work

During the summer of 1999, Amy was a law clerk with the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault's Legal Advocacy Project. After graduating from law school (and a one-year detour in Illinois), Amy returned to Alaska, where she spent two years coordinating volunteers and working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault at the Juneau, Alaska domestic violence shelter.

Volunteer Work

Amy then moved on to the state agency responsible for oversight and funding of Alaska's domestic violence, sexual assault, and batterer's intervention programs. She volunteered with the Alaska Network's Pro Bono legal hotline, which provided free legal advice to domestic violence and sexual assault victims.

Contact With Amy Newman

If you would like to learn more about Amy or her services, visit her LinkedIn page.