Amanda Amert

Practice Areas

Amanda S. Amert is a partner in the Litigation Department and Chair of the ERISA Litigation Group, based in the firm’s Chicago office. She focuses her practice on ERISA litigation and has a wide variety of business litigation, appellate and arbitration experience. Businesses rely on her for help with ERISA litigation and counseling, contract disputes and financial services litigation. She has represented employers in federal courts around the country at the trial and appellate levels, in both individual and class-action lawsuits, and in disputes with the U.S. Department of Labor.

Amanda's experience in business litigation ranges from contract disputes to financial industry cases to employment litigation. Her ERISA litigation experience includes representing employers and ERISA plan service providers in federal courts around the country at the trial and appellate levels, in both individual and class action lawsuits, as well as counseling clients regarding developing practices designed to avoid fiduciary litigation. Most recently, Amanda led a team that secured a complete dismissal of an ERISA class action against a multi-national corporation, and is defending class actions around recordkeeping fees, target date funds and proprietary funds in defined contribution plans.

Amanda has also handled ERISA class action settlements, plan audits and investigations, and disputes between ERISA plan sponsors and service providers. Amanda writes and speaks on ERISA litigation topics and, with partner Craig C. Martin, is a co-author of PLI's ERISA Benefits Litigation Answer Book.

Chambers USA ranks Amanda among the leading practitioners nationally in the area of ERISA litigation, and Legal 500 has recognized her for her work in labor and employment. Law360 has recognized Amanda as an "MVP" in Benefits for her ERISA litigation work, as well as a “Rising Legal Star,” and as one of “five employment lawyers under the age of 40 to watch,” noting her “deep expertise in ERISA law.” In 2018, 2022 and again in 2024, Crain’s named Amanda among Chicago’s “Notable Women Lawyers.”

Amanda maintains an active pro bono practice, which has included a range of civil, criminal and counseling matters.

Amanda received a JD, cum laude, from Duke University School of Law in 2000 and a BA, cum laude, from Williams College in 1997.

Professional Memberships

Amanda is vice chair of the board of the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services of Chicago, one of the first organizations in the United States to provide legal services regardless of an individual’s ability to pay.

She is a former longtime board member of Chicago Debates, whose mission is to advance the academic achievement and life success of Chicago’s urban youth through academic debate. Amanda is an alum of Leadership Greater Chicago, a 30-year-old non-profit organization that cultivates Chicago’s business, public and civic leaders through a deeper understanding of the issues facing the Chicago community.

Awards