Meet Amber Patwell
Ms. Patwell attended the University of South Florida for her undergraduate degree and received her law degree from the University of Florida. During law school, Ms. Patwell’s emphasis was on criminal law, taking courses such as Trial Practice and Advanced Criminal Law Practices. Additionally, during law school, Ms. Patwell received her pro bono certificate through volunteering with the Teen Court Program of Alachua County, and she was a certified legal intern at the Public Defender’s Office in Alachua County.
Upon graduation from law school in 2007, Ms. Patwell worked as an Assistant Public Defender in Orlando. She defended over 1,000 criminal cases ranging from traffic citations to punishable by life felonies. Ms. Patwell has received favorable outcomes for her clients through motion hearings, taking cases to trial, seeking treatment programs for clients and negotiating on behalf of her clients. She has always rooted for the underdog, and the public defender’s office was very rewarding to Ms. Patwell as she was able to find creative ways to stand up for people with odds stacked against them.
Ms. Patwell prides herself on the fact that she has always worked to defend people in criminal matters and never prosecuted crimes. After leaving the Public Defender’s Office in 2010, Ms. Patwell worked as a family law attorney in Orlando defending husbands and fathers in divorce and paternity and other family law matters.
Since 2010, Ms. Patwell has been practicing family law and has represented hundreds of clients in divorce, paternity, dependency, modification, domestic violence, contempt and adoption actions. In 2012, Ms. Patwell opened her own practice to handle criminal and family law matters. Ms. Patwell is passionate about the law, her clients, and her family. She is a fighter who zealously advocates for the rights of her clients. Ms. Patwell received her certification as a Supreme Court Family Mediator in 2018 and completed training as a Guardian ad Litem in 2019.
Ms. Patwell has been a member of the Florida Bar since 2007 and is admitted to practice in the U.S. Middle District of Florida. Ms. Patwell has practiced law in 28 counties in Florida. She is a member of the St. Pete Bar Association, the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyer’s and the Florida Association of Women Lawyers. She is active in her community and volunteers for the Community Law Program, Bay Area Legal and Lawyers for Literacy.
