Amanda Cutshall Goozée

Amanda Cutshall Goozée represents businesses and insurers in a diverse range of litigation matters, including workers’ compensation, insurance coverage, labor & employment, transportation and premises liability.

Amanda has successfully tried more than 85% of her litigated workers’ compensation matters in favor of her employer and insurer clients, and she has a 100% success rate in dismissals of retaliatory discharge matters on Summary Judgment. Amanda has successfully defended two appeals, and recently formed a task force at the request of the Alabama Supreme Court to draft a new Alabama Rule of Judicial Administration regarding the approval process for workers’ compensation settlements going forward in our post-pandemic world.

Presently, Amanda sits on the Alabama Workers’ Compensation Judicial Education Committee, a group of four plaintiffs’ attorneys and four defense attorneys around the state that were selected by their peers. This committee has collaborated to prepare a neutral white paper and cheat sheets for members of the Alabama bench to assist with questions judges may have regarding workers’ compensation in Alabama. Further, committee members conduct “Lunch and Learn” sessions for judges around the state, serving as an educational resource for those who wish to utilize it.

Moreover, Amanda is a founding member of the Alabama State Bar’s pilot program for a board certification process. As part of the committee, fully supported and endorsed by the ASB, Amanda drafted the Requirements, Regulations, Peer Review Requirements, and other sections of the application process that will be utilized state-wide for specialty boards. As part of Amanda’s work with these various committees and boards, she has forged relationships with both plaintiffs’ attorneys and defense attorneys around the state, working constantly to improve and support workers’ compensation laws in Alabama, while also being on the cutting edge of changes in a way that benefits her clients.

To develop effective defense strategies, Amanda works with clients to develop close relationships that allow for a better understanding of the company’s wishes and best interests to collaboratively formulate a defense strategy that will put them in the best position to succeed in court. She works to connect on a personal level and build professional relationships to the point that they become friendships. Knowing that every dollar spent in a case is important to the client, especially for self-insured employers, every case is personal to her as she works to secure the best results for her valued clients.

Awards/Recognitions

Bulletin, Birmingham Bar Association Vol. 42, Issue 3, Fall 2021 – recognized as an outstanding volunteer for Birmingham Volunteer Lawyers

Memberships

• Alabama State Bar
• Alabama State Bar Workers’ Compensation Section - President
• Alabama Defense Lawyers Association
• Defense Research Institute
• Birmingham Bar Association, workers’ compensation
• Birmingham Bar Association, women’s section

Interests

Amanda cares deeply about assisting the underprivileged and vulnerable members of her community. In 2020, she was recognized on a local and state level for her involvement with the Birmingham Volunteer Lawyers, through which she provides pro bono counsel on a range of matters.

Outside of her practice, Amanda enjoys spending time with friends and family (husband, Steve, and children William and Sarah Austin), traveling to new and exciting locations, attending as many concerts as possible, and cheering on the Crimson Tide.

Speaking Engagements

Publications

Speaking Engagements

• Nuts and Bolts of Alabama Subrogation Law – NASP Annual Conference, November 2021
• Navigating the Idiopathic Fall – Alabama Trial Lawyers Annual Conference, October 2020
• Assessing the Injury and the Case – NBI, December 2018
• Navigating Workers’ Compensation Processes, Procedures, and Forms – NBI, December 2017
• Selected Issues in Workers’ Compensation Law – NBI, December 2016
• Scope of Employment and Affirmative Defenses under the Workers’ Compensation Act – NBI, October 2016
• Overview of the Workers’ Compensation Act – Alabama Law Weekly, November 2015
• Hearing Practices and Procedures for Workers’ Compensation Attorneys – NBI, 2011
• Subrogation Ethics – NBI, September 2010
• Understanding the Successive Compensability Rule – ASIA Winter Conference, February 2009