
Amanda C. Cook
Attorney at Law
Amanda C. Cook is an attorney who focuses her practice in the area of family law, including divorce, support, child custody, division of assets and debts, and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. Amanda is also an experienced collaborative law attorney, and mediator, helping families navigate the divorce process and come to mutually-satisfactory outcomes without the need for court intervention.
Ms. Cook has worked for Cook & Associates, a boutique law firm in the North Hills of Pittsburgh since 2005.
While Amanda strives to zealously represent her clients, she believes that an attorney must also consider the continued relationship of the parties. This is particularly true when the parties have children. To that end, she strives to keep the parties out of court, focusing rather on cooperative settlements, when possible.
Amanda has been recognized as a Nationally Ranked Top 10 Under 40 by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, and has on multiple occasions been a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer and Rising Star. She has authored many articles relating to mediation and cooperative divorce and custody arrangements and has paneled legal education programs on the topic of family law. She is a member of the Pennsylvania State Bar Association, the Allegheny County Bar Association, the Mediation Council of Western Pennsylvania, and the Collaborative Law Association of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Ms. Cook sits on the board of the Street Medicine Institute (SMI), an international non-profit which facilitates and enhances the direct provision of health care to the unsheltered homeless where they live. For more information on SMI, please visit streetmedicine.org.
Amanda has a young son and is a professional scuba diver.
Areas of Practice
Family
Estate Planning
Bar Admissions
Pennsylvania State Bar Association, 2005
U.S. District Court Western — District of Pennsylvania, 2005
Education
Juris Doctor: University of Pittsburgh School of Law, 2005
Bachelor's: Ohio University in Athens, 2001
Major: Political Science
Minor: Spanish
Centro de Idiomas Sureste, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
Published Works
3 Misconceptions About Divorce, Ross InCommunity Magazine, 2016
4 Benefits of Mediating, Rather Than Litigating, Your Divorce, Custody and Support Matters, Ross InCommunity Magazine, 2016
3 Reasons to Take the High Road
3 Reasons to Settle Out of Court
3 Benefits of Finding a Divorce Lawyer Willing to 'Play Nice'
Reasons to Settle Custody Out of Court
The Benefits of a Shared Custody Schedule
3 Ways to Limit the Impact of Separation or Divorce on Your Kids
Does Anyone Win in a Divorce?
Getting a Divorce? 4 Steps Before Filing
4 Ways to Lessen the Financial Impact of Divorce
Mediation vs. Collaborative Divorce
Opting for an Uncontested Divorce
What is Collaborative Divorce? Top 5 Questions About the Process
Honors & Awards
Nationally Ranked Top 10 Under 40, National Academy Of Family Law Attorneys
Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, Pennsylvania Super Lawyers
Rising Star, Super Lawyers
Pro Bono Activities
Board of Directors, Street Medicine Institute
Professional Associations and Memberships:
Pennsylvania State Bar Association, Member
Allegheny County Bar Association —
Co-Chair of the Collaborative Law Committee
Co-Chair of the ADR Subcommittee of Family Law Section
Mediation Council of Western Pennsylvania, Secretary of the Board of Directors
Collaborative Law Association of Southwestern Pennsylvania (CLASP), Chair of the Ethics Committee on the Board of Director