Amy Silberstein joined Stern Perkoski Mendez in 2016 and practices exclusively in divorce and family law. As a child of divorce, Amy has a heightened understanding of the personal issues involved for both parents and children during a dissolution. Despite lending a sympathetic ear to her clients, Amy is a passionate advocate in the courtroom, with a record of success.

We want to take an opportunity to introduce Amy, as one of our team members.

Q: What do you do at the office?

Amy:  I am often running back and forth between court and the office. When I am in the office, I am usually on my computer drafting or responding to emails, or on the phone with clients, all while drinking my (almost) daily smoothie or snacking on peanut butter M&Ms.  A large portion of each week is also spent meeting with current and potential clients.

Q: Why do you want to practice family law?

A: I wanted to practice family law because of my own personal experiences with divorce.  My parents divorced when I was a freshman in high school, and they were very amicable situation. I was very lucky with how my parents handled their divorce at the time and kept my sister and I out of their arguments, and I am very lucky now that my whole family has no problem getting together for special occasions or when I am visiting Michigan.

I also really enjoy the human aspect of family law- I like working with real people and going to court to advocate on behalf of clients.  Working with corporations and reading contracts all day are for some people, but not for me!  Family law also incorporates a lot of other areas of law (tax law, real estate law, business structures), so each day and each case is different and I get to constantly be learning new things.

Q: What is something you want their clients to know?

A: Fighting with your spouse (or former spouse, or child’s other parent) about every little detail is really not worth it.  It is very emotionally harmful (to everyone involved, and especially children) and incredibly expensive, whether you fight about all the details in court or out of court.  If possible, please do not fight over blender you received as a wedding gift.  You can buy many new blenders for what you will spend fighting over the blender you received four years ago that now has dull blades. Fight over what you need to fight about, but please attend mediation or reach other compromises outside of court when possible.

Q: What do you like most about the firm?

A: Since our firm is so small, and I am one of just two associates, I like that I get to be involved in all aspects of a case, from start to finish.  If I was at a larger firm, I would likely not be so involved with every step of the cases.  Because I am so involved in cases, and have been since starting to work here, I had to learn a lot very quickly.  My skills as an attorney have really come a long way in a short amount of time, and I am excited to continue becoming better and to continue learning more.

Q: What is your favorite fictional character?

A: Hermione Granger (and the very non-fictional Emma Watson).  Growing up, I was really into Harry Potter.  And I mean really into them in the sense that I read the last few books within 48 hours of their release.

I like Hermione because she is one of the few strong female characters consistently shining through all of the other and many male characters in the series, and she is incredibly relatable.  As a mudblood, Hermione is immediately labelled as someone different.  She is sometimes called “bossy,” as many strong women are characterized today.  Hermione overcomes that “bossy” stereotype once others see that she really does know what she is talking about, and she can be assertive yet compassionate.  Once others see what Hermione is really about, her mudblood label does not matter.  Throughout the series, Hermione stands up for what she believes in and shows compassion to all, not just her close friends.

This post was written by Ahlaam Delange, Northwestern University class of 2019, and Joshua E. Stern.