Amy Muth

Amy Muth is a longtime leader in the Washington criminal defense legal community in advocating for people charged with sexual misconduct in Washington state and federal courts. Amy believes that people accused of sex offenses deserve exceptional representation and to have their humanity acknowledged. She is equally ready to fiercely advocate on behalf of innocent clients and to shepherd clients seeking to mitigate their conduct through the legal system in a caring and compassionate manner, without judgment.

Amy’s peers have recognized her advocacy and work on behalf of people accused of these offenses. She is the recipient of two President’s Awards from the Washington Defender Association (WDA) and one President’s Award from the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (WACDL). She is a Past President of WACDL and served on their board for ten years. She has been qualified in court as an expert on ineffective assistance of counsel by the Innocence Project Northwest (now Washington Innocence Project) and has served as an expert on that topic for other attorneys. Amy has also been selected as a Super Lawyer by Washington Law & Politics since 2013 and was previously selected as a Rising Star from 2011 to 2012.

Amy’s advocacy for her clients and commitment to a high standard of practice for these cases extends beyond the courtroom. Since her early days in her career, she has worked with stakeholders to reform these laws and ensure that the constitutional rights of people accused of these crimes are upheld. She regularly writes articles and amicus briefs for WACDL and WDA on sex offense issues, including on public records laws, community supervision requirements, poverty issues facing people in sex offender treatment, and juvenile matters. She has lectured to lawyers throughout Washington on how to try these challenging cases from accusation to verdict and about their ethical obligations to their clients. She was a featured speaker at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers sex offenses CLE program. She has also provided training to judges. Amy previously served for six years on the Legal Committee for ACLU-WA and has written amicus briefs on behalf of ACLU-WA on juvenile sexual offending issues. In 2010, she co-represented a class of people registering as Level II and III sex offenders whose information was being sought through public records requests.

Amy believes that successful outcomes are defined by her clients. She has defeated the filing of criminal charges and obtained dismissals, acquittals, substantial reductions, and excellent sentencing results for her clients through meticulous investigation, research, motions practice, and work with child witness interviewing, memory, forensic pathology, linguistic, mental health, juvenile brain development, neuropsychology, mitigation, and sex offender treatment experts. She also has a keen understanding of sex offender treatment, treatment alternatives to confinement, and has worked with a large number of sex offender treatment providers over the years. She has also provided training for the Washington Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (WATSA), including serving on panels at annual conferences. She particularly enjoys working with clients who come to her seeking help, but don’t know where to turn, and always strives to leave those clients with hope for their future.

Amy has practiced law in Washington State since 2001, following graduation from Ohio State University College of Law. She is admitted to practice law in the State of Washington, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. A classically-trained pianist, she graduated summa cum laude from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1997 with a degree in music and continues with her piano studies to this day. Amy is also an avid traveler who has lived abroad. She has gained a deep appreciation for the language and/or cultural barriers clients who grew up places other than the United States face when interacting with the criminal legal system.