Amanda L. Cottrell

Amanda Cottrell is a partner in the Business Trial Practice Group in the firm’s Dallas office.

Overview

An aggressive trial lawyer, Amanda is a problem solver who helps individuals and companies protect their money and property in high-stakes litigation. While the subject matter of her practice can vary depending on a client’s needs, there is always a common thread: strategic lawyering and successful results.

In the past 15 years, Amanda’s complex deal litigation has covered a wide array of disputes. She has helped business leaders successfully navigate high stress situations usually arising from contracts, company break ups, and acquisitions – such as purchase price and working capital adjustments, business performance and earn-out disputes, breaches of contract terms, representations and warranties, or fiduciary and fraud claims. With representations spanning many industries, Amanda has honed her expertise primarily in the areas of real estate, oil and gas, healthcare, commercial contracts, insurance, and telecommunications. 

Getting her start as a commercial real estate attorney, Amanda is considered a go-to real estate litigator by her peers and clients. She routinely represents data centers, real estate investors, banks, and special servicers in commercial disputes. Based in Texas, Amanda also has substantial experience in upstream oil and gas litigation. She has represented major oil and gas companies, independents, and landowners in disputes over mineral title ownership, operating agreements, surface use and damages, pooling, lease covenants, royalties, post-production processing costs, and co-tenancy accounting.

Amanda’s clients and colleagues appreciate her attention to detail, hard work ethic and good judgment – and she is often brought in by her colleagues to either be the lead litigator on multidisciplinary teams or local counsel in Texas. Amanda supports the firm’s restructuring practice, providing strategic counsel in contested matters filed in bankruptcy courts from coast to coast. She also partners with Sheppard Mullin’s White Collar Defense and Corporate Investigation team with a focus on healthcare industry clients in fraud, false claims, and kickback matters being investigated or prosecuted by state and federal agencies.

Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Amanda spent nine years working with a team led by a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas and an additional 20 months as a leader on a court-appointed compliance monitor team for a large international technology company.

Amanda is an avid distance runner, earning two varsity letters in cross country and track at Vanderbilt University. Her endurance and mental tenacity shine through in her law practice. Amanda’s efforts have been recognized by colleagues and peers in a variety of legal publications, including Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters and D Magazine.

For the past three years, Amanda has served as Co-Chair of the North Texas Food Bank’s Partners 4 Hope Campaign that has provided over one million nutritious meals to local families.

Honors

Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 2024-2025

Best Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine, 2022

Texas Top Women - Rising Stars, Super Lawyers, 2022

Texas Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2016-2022

Best Lawyers Under 40, D Magazine, 2019-2021

Dallas Bar Association WE LEAD Class of 2019

Articles

Corporate & Securities Law Blog Posts

• "Texas Revolution: State Legislature Creates New Business Court System to Handle Significant Commercial Disputes," July 28, 2023

Media Mentions

Events

Memberships

Secretary, Dallas Chapter, Women in White Collar Defense Association

Member, Oil, Gas & Energy Resources Law Section, State Bar of Texas

At-Large Director of the Dallas Bar Association’s Board of Director’s 2024-2026

Member, Energy Section, Dallas Bar Association

Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation

Digital Media