Amanda serves as Team Leader for the White Collar, Compliance and Government Investigations Group and focuses her practice on government investigations and complex civil litigation. She has served as Lead Chair in over 30 jury trials. Her experience includes regularly conducting internal investigations for companies and medical institutions and providing advice on reporting obligations and representation throughout all phases of government investigations and accompanying litigation.
Overview
Amanda serves as Team Leader for the White Collar, Compliance and Government Investigations Group and focuses her practice on government investigations and complex civil litigation. She has served as Lead Chair in over 30 jury trials. Her experience includes regularly conducting internal investigations for companies and medical institutions and providing advice on reporting obligations and representation throughout all phases of government investigations and accompanying litigation.
Practice Areas
About
Recent significant representations include representing a health care provider under investigation by DOJ and HHS accused of health care fraud following the filing of a False Claims Action. Amanda successfully negated all criminal allegations against the provider and individual employees involving alleged fraudulent billing of services and negotiated a reduced settlement of the false claims action. She also represented a major sports clinic being investigated by the DEA and DOJ for alleged violations of the Controlled Substance Act in prescription writing and dispensing practices and successfully negated threats of criminal charges against the clinic and individual doctors and negotiated civil penalties for technical violations of prescription writing practices.
In addition to her expertise defending government investigations, she has significant experience defending complex civil litigation. Beyond her defense of civil false claims actions, Amanda regularly defends a national insurance company in extra contractual and coverage lawsuits in both state and federal courts. Amanda litigates claims of breach of contract, breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing, fraud, negligence, and vicarious liability.
She is recognized by Best Lawyers in America® (Criminal Defense: White-Collar) and is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale Hubbell®. Best Lawyers in America® selected her as its 2020 Lawyer of the Year, Criminal Defense: White Collar (Jackson, Miss.).
Before joining Butler Snow, she served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Harris County, Texas District Attorney’s Office and Deputy District Attorney for the Jefferson County, Alabama District Attorney’s Office, Birmingham Division. She obtained her J.D. from George Washington University and her B.A., cum laude, in History from Louisiana State University. Following law school, she clerked for the Honorable Loren A. Smith, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. She is admitted to practice in Alabama, Mississippi and Texas.
Experience
- Regularly conducts internal investigations for companies and medical institutions and provides advice on reporting obligations and representation throughout all phases of government investigations.
- Represented health care provider under investigation by DOJ and HHS accused of health care fraud following the filing of a False Claims Action successfully negating all criminal allegations against the provider and individual employees involving alleged fraudulent billing of services and negotiated reduced settlement of false claims action.
- Represented health care clinics in defense of an investigation by DOJ following the filing of a False Claims Action against the clinics resulting in no criminal charges being brought and a reduced settlement of the False Claims Action.
- Represented major sports clinic being investigated by the DEA and DOJ for alleged violations of the Controlled Substance Act in prescription writing and dispensing practices. Successfully negated threats of criminal charges against the clinic and individual doctors and negotiated civil penalties for technical violations of prescription writing practices.
- Represented officer of a domestic company accused of harboring and employing illegal aliens which resulted in a misdemeanor plea and counseled the company through its compliance with the terms of a deferred prosecution agreement requiring changes in company policy and regular communication with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- Defended a large national contractor in a False Claims Act case resulting in a dismissal of the suit.
- Serves as discovery counsel for a national insurance company involved in mass litigation following several catastrophic weather events.
- Conducted dozens of criminal investigations involving the collection of data and physical evidence, locating and interviewing witnesses and drafting of search warrants during her tenure as a prosecutor.
- Conducted an internal investigation of a large domestic company involving thousands of pages of documents and hundreds of witnesses and presented the results to the United States Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice resulting in no charges or penalties and a Declination of Intervention by the United States in a Pending False Claims Act case.
- Defended a franchisee of a large domestic company accused in a criminal complaint and related civil case resulting in dismissal of the criminal case and reduced civil settlement.
- Represented a former partner of a large international accounting firm indicted for committing billions of dollars in tax fraud resulting in a sentence significantly below the federal sentencing guideline range.
Distinctions
- 2023 Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award, The Burton Awards
- Martindale-Hubbell®
- AV®-Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated, 2012-2024
- Best Lawyers in America®
- Criminal Defense: White-Collar, 2015-2025
- Privacy and Data Security Law, 2023-2025
- Lawyer of the Year, Criminal Defense: White Collar (Jackson, Miss.), 2020
- Super Lawyers®
- Mid-South Rising Stars, 2011-2012
- Texas District Attorney’s Office, Assistant District Attorney, Harris County, 1998-2002
- District Attorney’s Office, Deputy District Attorney, Jefferson County, Alabama, Birmingham Division, 2002-2004
- Charles Clark American Inn of Court
Bar Admissions
- Alabama, 2002
- Mississippi, 1998
- Texas, 1997
- U.S. District Courts
- Mississippi: Northern, Southern
- U.S. Court of Appeals
- 5th Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
Education
- George Washington University, J.D., 1997
- Louisiana State University, B.A., History, cum laude, 1994
- Phi Beta Kappa
- Clerkship, Chief Judge Loren A. Smith, U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Associations
- American Bar Association
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
- Capital Area Bar Association
Papers, Presentations & Publications
- Co-Author, “Criminal Liability of Pharmaceutical Executives Under the Controlled Substances Act,” Pro Te: Solutio, Vol. 15, No. 2, June 2022.
- Panelist, “False Claims Act Today – Northern & Southern Districts of Mississippi,” Federal Bar Association, Qui Tam Section, April 22, 2021.
- Author, “Health Care Strike Force: Uncovering Fraud in the Healthcare Industry,” Pro Te: Solutio, Vol. 7 No. 1, 21-27, March 2014.
- Author, “’Honest Services’ Criminal Claim Dealt Setback in Appeals Court,” Washington Legal Foundation, Counsel's Advisory, Vol. 14, No. 10, November 3, 2006.
- Author, “You Can Beat the Crime, But You Can't Beat the Ride: What Corporations Need to Know Before an Investigation,” Washington Legal Foundation, Contemporary Legal Notes Series, Number 48, October 2005.
Civic Involvement
- Jackson Futbol Club
- Board Member
- Mississippi Rush Soccer
- Team Treasurer
- Team Manager
- St. Richard's Catholic Church
- Member