Fairygodboss Of The Week: Amy Marion
Amy Marion, a founding partner of Barket, Marion, Epstein & Kearon, is a Fairygodboss who has used her legal career to fight for all kinds of causes, including domestic violence prevention, women’s rights, immigration reform and environmental issues. She loves owning her own firm because she can take on the cases that interest her most — and when she’s not working she spends her precious time off with her daughter. She has some pretty excellent advice about networking!
Fairygodboss of the Week: Amy Marion
Founding Partner, Barket, Marion, Epstein & Kearon
Long Island, NY
FGB: Tell us a little about your career. How did you get to where you are now?
AM: I started as a public defender in New York City representing indigent individuals who cannot afford an attorney. After leaving public service, I went into private practice and took on civil rights cases, defending the rights of individuals who were wrongly accused and mistreated by law enforcement and other authorities; this included cases claiming discrimination, brought against NYPD and private institutions as well.
I left private practice in 2000 and began working for a Judge. I realized that the court system was not for me and returned to private practice in 2005, starting my own law firm with Bruce Barket who has handled many high profile exoneration cases, along with Steve Epstein, one of New York State's leading DUI defense attorneys and Kevin Kearon, a highly regarded state and federal criminal defense practitioner.
Owning my own firm allows me to take any type of case I wish to and affords me the opportunity to pursue my political and social justice causes for inter alia, domestic violence prevention, criminal defense, immigration reform, civil rights, women's rights, and environmental issues.
FGB: What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?
AM: Being the female founding partner of highly regarded criminal and social justice law firm.
FGB: What is a challenge that you've faced and overcome?
AM: Being one of the few women to be a founding partner of a Long Island law firm.
FGB: Who is YOUR Fairygodboss? and Why?
AM: Tammy Robbins was the Judge I worked for — she is an amazingly open minded and bright individual.
FGB: What do you do when you're not working?
AM: Spend time with my daughter, who has special needs; I am a Nassau County ACLU People Power representative; a Board member of the Nassau County Criminal Courts Bar Association; the attorney for the Committee for a Sustainable Waterfront, a Board member of the Sea Cliff Open Government Party; a founding member of the Hempstead Harbor Democratic Club; a member of the Nassau County Bar Association's Judiciary Committee; a Nassau County Democratic Party committee person; a member of the New York State Association for Criminal Defense attorneys; I lecture and give continuing legal education courses on civil rights and domestic violence issues; and am actively fighting for immigration detention reform with the New York Civil Liberties Union as well as joining together other local groups and interested parties to fight against the injustices being enforced.
FGB: If you could have dinner with one famous person - dead or alive - who would it be?
AM: Journalist Amy Goodman.
Lightning Round:
FGB: What is your karaoke song?
AM: Jungleland.
FGB: What is your favorite movie?
AM: Saving Private Ryan and Pulp Fiction.
FGB: What book would you bring with you on a desert island?
AM: The Red Tent.
FGB: What is your shopping vice? What would you buy if you won the lottery?
AM: Shopping vice: boots and jackets; Lottery: a house in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah.
FGB: What is the #1 career tip you'd like to share with other women who want to have successful careers like you?
AM: Network and associate with other women — women give other women opportunities and business.
FGB: Why do you love where you work?
AM: It affords me the freedom to pursue my dreams of working for social justice and reform everyday in the trenches and in a broader policy and legislative realm.
Fairygodboss is all about women helping other women. So each week, we celebrate a woman who makes a difference in other women’s careers. Is there a woman who has made a difference in your career? Celebrate and thank her by nominating her here.
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