Amanda Cruz has one rule when it comes to litigation: outwork the other side. As a Litigation Paralegal on our fiduciary litigation team, she keeps cases moving from first filing to final judgment. She prepares pleadings, motions, and discovery, coordinates depositions, and tracks every deadline an order or settlement agreement sets in motion. When it’s time for a hearing or trial, she’s right there with the team. For Amanda, though, the work is about more than deadlines. She knows litigation can feel endless for the people living through it, so she stays in close touch with clients and makes sure they never feel like they’re going through it alone.

Amanda’s path into law started at 19, when she took a job with a solo practitioner knowing, in her words, absolutely nothing about the law. It didn’t take long for her to see how much a good paralegal can do for a client, and she was hooked. She loved learning the ins and outs of probate and civil litigation, but the part that stuck with her most was helping people through some of the hardest moments of their lives. Along the way, roles at Woodforest National Bank and IBC Bank taught her how to build real rapport with the people she serves, and in 2022 she made her commitment official, earning her Associate Degree in Paralegal Studies. Today, she’ll tell you the best part of the job is the team she gets to do it with.

Outside the office, Amanda lives by the best advice she’s ever received: live every day to the fullest. For her, that means traveling, catching concerts and movies, running the boardwalk along the lake, and spending time with family and friends. She loves puzzles of every kind, is a Lego set enthusiast, and is always happy with a bowl of popcorn. One thing she hasn’t mastered? Whistling.