Amy Collignon Gunn

Practice Areas

With a focus on personal injury cases, Amy Collignon Gunn is a caring, trial-tested lawyer serving clients across the United States. She handles many types of personal injury matters, including cases involving defective products, medical negligence, dangerous drugs, and medical devices.

Amy has dedicated her legal career to advocating for clients and their families after their lives have been devastated by the careless and/or reckless conduct of a doctor, hospital, or corporation. Whether you have been injured due to a doctor’s or hospital’s medical negligence or a corporation’s decision to sell a defective product, Amy has the expertise and insight to help. She takes her job as “counselor” very seriously, taking time to listen to each of her client’s cases. Amy guides individuals through complex litigation and legal proceedings, leading them to a resolution of the case and enabling them to return to their lives, ready to move forward.

Amy is a member of numerous state and national professional associations and organizations and has served as an adjunct professor of law at the Washington University School of Law since 2001 and is regularly asked to give presentations to her fellow attorneys on legal and ethical topics. She has received the highest ethical and professional rating of AV Preeminent® from Martindale-Hubbell® and is on the executive committee of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys where she works hard to ensure that our civil justice system provides equal access to injured individuals.

Career

American College of Trial Lawyers

Trial Tested: A Podcast by the American College of Trial Lawyers, Host

Missouri Supreme Court Civil Rules Committee, Member

Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater St. Louis, President, 2017-18

Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater St. Louis, President-Elect, 2016-17

American Association for Justice

American Bar Association

American Bar Foundation

Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Treasurer, 2013-14

Board of Governors and Co-Chair of the Women’s Caucus

Illinois Bar Association

Member of the Women’s Caucus

Missouri Bar Association

Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys

Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater St. Louis, former Board Member-At-Large

Women in the Legal Profession Committee

2021 Chambers USA – Band 1

Awards:

Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” for Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs in St. Louis 2020

Best Lawyers in America® 2009-2020

Missouri Lawyers Weekly Influential Appellate Advocates Award 2018

Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” for Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs in St. Louis 2018

International Advisory Experts Award: Injury & Medical Malpractice Lawyer of the Year in Missouri, 2017

Kentucky Colonel 2007 to present

Fellow of the American Bar Foundation 2007 to present

Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers® 2008-2019

Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers® Top 50 in St. Louis 2013-2019

Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers® Top 100, 2013-2019

Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers® Top 50 Women 2010-2019

Inaugural Speaker for The Honorable Donald J. Gunn, Sr. Professionalism and Justice Address to the incoming class of Saint Louis University School of Law, 2014

Thomas G. Strong Trial Attorney Award, MATA 2013

President’s Award, BAMSL 2013

Member of the Inns of Court 2011-2013

The American Trial Lawyers Assoc., Top 100 Trial Lawyers 2011

Women’s Justice Rising Star Award 2009

40 Under 40, St. Louis Business Journal 2008

Up and Coming Lawyers, Missouri Lawyers Weekly 2007

Lon O. Hocker Trial Lawyer Award 2007

John C. Shepherd Professionalism Award 2006

American Jurisprudence Award – Commercial Transactions 1996

Professional Memberships

Bar admissions:

State of Illinois

State of Missouri

United States Court of Federal Claims

United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois

United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri

United States District Court for the District of Kansas

United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit

Appointments:

Missouri Supreme Court Civil Rules Committee, 2017-present

Eastern District of Missouri Merit Selection Panel for the Appointment of Magistrate Judges- Chair- 2022

Eastern District of Missouri Merit Selection Panel for the Re-Appointment of a Magistrate Judge- Chair- 2022

Missouri Bar Foundation Board of Trustees, 2023-present

Saint Louis University High School Board of Trustees, 2023-present

Publications

Searching for an Acceptable Reasonable Doubt Jury Instruction in Light of Victor v. Nebraska, 40 St. Louis U. L.J 145 (1996).

Structural Work Act Repeal Retroactive?, 4 IDC Quarterly 50 (1996).

Tort Immunity for Public Service Not-For-Profit Corporations, 4 IDC Quarterly 6 (1997).

Since When Is “Too Nice” A Fault?, XLV St. Louis Lawyer 12 (2007).

Let’s Thank the Role Models, St. Louis Lawyer, Jan., 2008.

Life is a Spinning Plate, and I Want to Balance It!, WLA Newsletter (2008).

The Rewards of Giving Back, Saint Louis Brief, Spring, 2009.

Medical Device Preemption: Riegel v. Medtronic, Inc. and Its Aftermath, The Missouri Trial Attorney, Summer, 2009.

The Value of Medical Bills? The Wait is Over, The Missouri Trial Attorney, Fall, 2009.

Experience

Adjunct Professor of Pretrial Litigation at Washington University School of Law, Fall, 2001- 2015 (recipient of 10 years of service recognition, 2011)

American Association of Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition, Coach for Saint Louis University School of Law Team, 2009

Guest Lecturer at Washington University School of Law, Product Liability Class, Spring Semester, 2010, 2012

Missouri Association of Defense Lawyers Trial Academy, Faculty Member and Presenter, 2013-2015, 2022, 2023

Guest Lecturer at Saint Louis University School of Law, Law and the Regulation of Science, Spring, 2016

Attorneys Information Exchange Group Trucking Seminar, Faculty Member, November, 2017, 2018

Attorneys Information Exchange Group Trial College Faculty Member, 2019, 2022

Guest Lecturer at Missouri State University, Department of Public Health and Sports Medicine, A discussion of Legal Liability in the Setting of Athletic Training Professionals, November, 2020

Industry Sector Expertise

Legislative & Mass Tort Changes in Missouri, 06/20/2017, The Simon Law Firm, P.C. Hon. Richard B. Teitelman Memorial Seminar to Benefit the Legal Services of Missouri

First Chair Society, Guest Speaker, Saint Louis University School of Law, February 23, 2016

Expert Witnesses: Using Court Rules to Your Advantage, NBI Video Webcast, October 22, 2015

Telling Your Client’s Story With Technology—David or Goliath? (Panel Discussion), Missouri Bar Annual Meeting, October 8, 2015

Auto Injuries: Advanced Plaintiff Strategies, NBI, September 25, 2015

Take Control: Proving Doctors are Employees of Hospitals, Webinar, December 9, 2014

How to Avoid $1,000/day Penalties- Statutory Compliance with the Requirements of Liens, MODL/IDC, September 18, 2014

Stacked Deck: Dealing (Still) with Billed v. Paid, MATA Conference, June 21, 2014

Anatomy of a Product Liability Case, The Simon Law Firm Seminar to Benefit Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, June 17, 2014

Product Liability 101, BAMSL, Bench and Bar Conference, May 29, 2014

Product Liability 101, St. Louis County Bar Association, May 16, 2014

Introduction of Medical Records and Bills into Evidence, The Best Practice Series, April 4, 2014

Applying Medical Knowledge of Injuries to Your Case, December 9, 2013

Pre-Trial Motions, The Simon Law Firm Annual Trial Practice Seminar, June 18, 2013

Deline Ethics and Professionalism Program for First Year Law Students, April 5, 2013

Medical Malpractice from A-Z, December 7, 2012

Tips on Deposing Lay Witnesses, BAMSL-Bench and Bar Conf., June 1, 2012

Medicare Set Asides in Personal Injury Litigation, February 24, 2012

Medical Malpractice From A-Z, December 2, 2011

The Mechanics of Illinois Civil Procedure, June 29, 2011

Where Does the Buck Stop? Dealing with Medical Bills, June 26, 2011

Getting the Most Out of Your Evidence, November 10, 2010

Evidence and Expert Testimony Best Practices: Supporting Your Case, January 14, 2010

Trial Practice II, Masters Program: Split Decisions- Admissibility of Medical Bill Evidence in Missouri, September 25, 2009

Pharmaceutical Litigation- Avoiding Preemption Pitfalls, June 26, 2009

The Value of Medical Bills, The Simon Law Firm Trial Practice Seminar, June 23, 2009

Case Evaluation and Venue, BAMSL Bench, Bar and Professional Development Conference, May 29, 2009

Document Management in the Trenches: How Paralegals Can Get & Stay Organized, January 29, 2009

How to Successfully Resolve Automobile Injury Cases, June 13, 2008

Successful Medical Malpractice Suits, April 22, 2008

Gaining The Best Settlement in Auto Injury Cases, March 26, 2007

Tips for Handling The Personal Injury Case, December 14, 2007 (substitute for John Simon)

Litigation Case Management: Best Practices for Paralegals, October 8, 2007

How to Successfully Resolve Automobile Injury Cases, June 13, 2007

Successful Medical Malpractice Suits, April 27, 2007

Medical-Legal Implications of Placental Pathology, January 29, 2007

Guest Speaker at Washington University School of Law –

Health Law Association Luncheon, March 21, 2007

Plaintiff’s Personal Injury From Start to Finish, June 29, 2006

Simon Passanante Trial Practice Seminar (moderator), 2005-2011

Keys to Litigating Missouri Bad Faith Cases, June 3, 2005

Advanced Trial Advocacy in Missouri, January 19, 2005

Ethics in Litigation, December 9, 2004

Misconceptions in Medical Malpractice Reform, October 22, 2004

State Civil Litigation in Missouri, May 19, 2004

Keys to Litigating Missouri Bad Faith Cases, March 30, 2004

Work Highlights

Amy’s dedication has secured millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for her clients through the years:

$10 million mass tort/product liability

$6 million product liability

$5.75 million medical malpractice

$2.8 million product liability/medical malpractice

$2 million product liability/wrongful death

$1 million medical malpractice

Education

Awards