Member Spotlight
| Publication year | 2023 |
| Pages | 104 |
UNDER OATH | MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Amy Pohl
Amy Pohl is a career advocate for survivors of domestic violence and their families.
PROFILE
Hometown:
Denver
Law School:
University of Wyoming
College of Law
Lives in:
Arvada
Works at:
Project Safeguard
Practice Area:
Representing victims of gender-based violence in civil cases—mainly domestic relations and civil protection orders
CBA Member Since:
2008
Pronouns:
She/her/hers
Would you like to be featured in Under Oath? Email Shelby Knafel at sknafel@ cobar.org for a questionnaire.
Describe yourself in five words.
Determined, empathetic, curious, generous, thoughtful.
Why did you become a lawyer?
I actually didn't want to be a lawyer—I was considering graduate school, and someone suggested that law school would open all kinds of doors and be a great place to learn a new way of thinking. So I decided to go, and I ended up loving the law!
What's one of the most positive experiences you've had as a lawyer?
I've spent my career representing victims of gender-based violence in civil cases, and I've seen my clients revictimized, humiliated, and shamed by the very system that was created to bring them justice. Finding the positive in a world that deeply misunderstands domestic and sexual violence can be challenging, even when a case is won. So it's somewhat surprising that one of the most positive experiences I've had recently was in a case we lost. The presiding magistrate granted a motion to dismiss a permanent protection order despite our request to keep it in place. However, this magistrate treated our client with dignity—even thanked her for her bravery. He honored the difficulty of his decision and thoughtfully walked through each factor in the statute and thoroughly explained his reasonings. That was a win for us, and for our client, who left trusting the system and b elieving that if she had to return, she would be treated respectfully and fairly.
Outside of the law, what are your hobbies?
Even as summer has drawn to a close, it's difficult not to mention...
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