About Amanda Catherine
Amanda Catherine Cook built a legal foundation through study and language training. She earned her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2005 and completed a Certificate of Advanced Study in International and Comparative Law. Earlier she graduated from Ohio University in 2001 with a B.A. in Political Science, concentrating in international relations and carrying a minor in Spanish. She also studied Spanish at the Centro de Idiomas del Sureste in 2001.
Her early career moved quickly into practice. In 2005 she joined Cook & Associates as a senior associate. The role put her into client work and courtroom matters during the first years after law school. In 2011 she served as secretary for the Street Medicine Institute, a position that connected her to community-based healthcare and legal intersections. Those experiences shaped how she approaches both client intake and case management.
Cook has kept an active presence in several professional organizations. She is a current member of the Martimonial Inns of Court and the National Academy of Family Law Lawyers. She also participates in the Allegheny County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Council of Mediators. Her involvement with Neighborhood Legal Services and the Pennsylvania Association of Notaries reflects a range of interests, from access to justice to the procedural aspects of document execution.
Her practice has an emphasis on family and matrimonial matters. She handles divorce proceedings, custody and visitation disputes, and the related financial and property questions that often follow separation. She also acts as a mediator in contested family law cases, helping parties pursue negotiated resolutions when possible. Her work intersects with community services and legal aid through occasional collaboration with Neighborhood Legal Services clients.
Colleagues describe Cook as methodical in preparing cases and pragmatic in settlement talks. She combines courtroom readiness with a willingness to explore alternative dispute resolution. Her Spanish studies inform limited work with Spanish-speaking clients and help when reviewing translated documents.
She maintains an office across McKnight Road from the Outback and practices in Pennsylvania. She currently practices family and matrimonial law and serves as a mediator in Pennsylvania.
