Alton, Ill. – Simmons Hanly Conroy, one of the nation’s largest mass torts and asbestos firms, is pleased to announce Assistant Managing Shareholder Amy E. Garrett has been named an inaugural honoree in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer’s Salute! Women in Law Awards.
“We are thrilled to see Amy receive this well-deserved recognition,” said Simmons Hanly Conroy Chairman John Simmons. “She’s a key leader within our firm, heading up our pro bono efforts, as well as the firm’s inclusion and diversity initiatives. Her commitment to her clients and the community at large is evident in everything she does, and we are so proud she’s a part of our leadership team.”
Garrett will be recognized on Sept. 2, 2020, at a ceremony and reception at the Ivy Room in Chicago. Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer received more than 500 nominations for the awards and selected 50 for this first class of honorees. Garrett was chosen because of her work to advance other women in the profession, her professional accomplishments, and her leadership.
Garrett joined Simmons Hanly Conroy’s asbestos team in 2003 and became the firm’s first female Shareholder in 2009. She has since mentored several other women to Shareholder. Promoted to assistant managing Shareholder in 2019, she currently leads the firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts. Prior to that, she oversaw the Madison County and St. Louis dockets and worked closely with attorneys in both the Asbestos and Complex Litigation departments to prepare cases for trial. Her litigation work has secured millions of dollars on behalf of her clients affected by asbestos.
Going beyond her professional accomplishments, Garrett initiated the firm’s pro bono program, which provides free representation and legal services. In particular, she has focused on helping domestic-violence victims obtain orders of protection by connecting them with paralegals, free of charge. She has also served as director of the SHC Foundation, which has donated more than $1 million to St. Louis-area charities.
Garrett has also committed her litigation skills to helping people clear their records in order to have better access to housing and jobs. In 2005, she helped start the Veterans Legal Support Clinic, which identifies and trains attorneys to represent veterans free-of-charge in their VA claims. She was instrumental in coordinating Amnesty Day for homeless veterans in St. Louis. Similarly, she helped develop Simmons Hanly Conroy’s Second Chance Saturday program, in which Madison County citizens with criminal records are invited to consult with attorneys for free to have their records expunged.
Garrett’s honors include a 2019 Women’s Justice Award from Missouri Lawyers Weekly in the Pro Bono category, a 2015 Up & Coming Young Lawyer Award from Missouri Lawyers Weekly, and inclusion in Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s 40 Under 40 list for 2013.
Garrett received her J.D. from Washington University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana.
Click here for a full list of the honorees.
