It is with great pride and much delight that we announce that our esteemed friend and partner, Amanda E. Schreyer, has been selected by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as one of its Top Women of Law for 2021. This award, intended to recognize “exceptional women lawyers who are pioneers, educators, trailblazers and role models,” will be celebrated on Wednesday, November 17th at a reception at the Copley Marriott from 5:30-8:00 p.m. Surely there is no one more deserving.
Prescient in her decision many years ago to focus her practice on the representation of digital content creators, Amanda’s instincts, coupled with her outstanding legal abilities, led to the development of a substantial legal practice involving transactions in what is now the approximately $13 billion influencer marketing industry. Early on, Amanda understood that her intellectual property experience in the entertainment industry and in traditional media, coupled with her skill at negotiating deals in those industries, could – in her words – “readily transfer to content creation on the internet and social media, and that was a niche I could create for myself.” Amanda carefully covered all the bases in this burgeoning field, as she regularly attended blogger conferences, offering to hold “Ask the Lawyer” sessions for attendees, educating that expressly targeted audience about intellectual property and contracts, all of which quickly led to her being invited to speak on panels, to give presentations, and to hold workshops for digital entrepreneurs. Soon, agencies dedicated to influencer marketing appeared, and, due to her experience both negotiating contracts with content creators and negotiating advertising contracts with brands on behalf of magazine publishers, Amanda was singularly suited to represent agencies that execute influencer marketing campaigns on behalf of those same brands. Additionally, she was able to use her data and software credentials to represent software-as-a-service platforms that connect brands with influencers using artificial intelligence. As a result of all these efforts, and her drive to create that niche she sought long ago, Amanda has rightfully developed a sterling reputation as an exceptional lawyer, and as an experienced and visionary woman unafraid of the challenges inherent in change.
Amanda’s well-known energy and passion are on display in the service of her clients, but she also finds great satisfaction in her contributions to her community at large. For example, she is involved with an organization in Lynn, MA called Raw Art Works, a youth arts organization which is “rooted in art therapy” and which “provides a safe space, both emotionally and artistically, for kids to reveal what is really going on in their lives”. Amanda has gladly served on a number of fundraising Committees, working tirelessly to ensure RAW’s very survival. Additionally, Amanda has made it a point to serve as a Brown University Alumni Interviewer, concentrating on candidates from Lynn and other underserved North Shore communities, hoping to encourage high school students to dream big.
Amanda is active within the legal community; she is determined to be a “good citizen” of her professional community, too. Among other examples, she has been active in the Women’s Bar Association, where she was asked by its President to co-chair the WBA’s Communications Committee, aiming to foster relations between the WBA and local and national media outlets. Last year Amanda was asked to chair the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education “Doing Business Online” conference, which was held virtually; true to her principle of “paying it forward”, she used that platform to invite two junior in-house counsel for their first speaking engagements, giving these newer lawyers the opportunity to be seen by their peers as thought leaders in their field.
As a child, Amanda says, if she ever felt wronged, her mother would tell her to “write a letter”, and so she did, even to the heads of giant corporations; speaking truth to power seemed a natural thing to do. Flash forward to today, and Amanda will tell you that one of the most satisfying aspects of her role as legal counsel is finding that “if a client’s intellectual property has been infringed, or if a customer has breached a contract, I get to ‘write a letter’ on their behalf; I use my voice to advocate for clients when they have been wronged.” From Amanda’s perspective, righting wrongs imposed on others is an important facet of practicing law.
A vibrant and vivacious presence, an advocate lending her voice to those who feel they have none, a woman committed to positive contributions wherever she finds herself, we’ve always known her to be an exceptional lawyer (of any gender), a pioneer, an educator, a trailblazer and a role model, and therefore a worthy recipient of this award. Please join us in congratulating our colleague, Amanda Schreyer, on this significant achievement.
