Amy Miller

Speech Writer and Policy Advisor at United States Senate

2012 | Washington, DC

Purdue University | Political Science

“Being a lawyer means more than just arguing a case, or filing the right paperwork; it means that there’s a good chance that at some point, you’re going to be responsible for the future and livelihood of another human being.“

Amy Miller walked right out of law school and into a weedy and specialized area of law—Tenth Amendment jurisprudence. “The thing about working in Constitutional Law, though, is that you tend to use parts of many areas of law to create cohesive policy that makes sense in the real world,” she said. “Sometimes I have to hit rewind to 1L to form the big picture, so having that 3 year-sized arsenal of information at my fingertips is an incredible asset.”

Amy said she was blessed with professors who pushed her past her limits and forced her to bring a novel approach to the study of law. “It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it, because now I know that I am capable of handling complicated work without doubting myself,” she said.   

In her current position, the most rewarding aspect of her job is her ability to influence upcoming legislation by bringing a legal perspective to the policy discussion. “Issue-spotting is something that lawyers do very well, and it comes in very handy when you’re sitting around a table trying to figure out what exactly it is about a particular statute or policy that isn’t working, and what needs to be done to fix it,” she said. “Being able to be the person who can stand up and say, ‘I understand what’s going on and I know how to improve this’ is not only rewarding, but incredibly validating.”

Amy advises prospective law students to ask themselves one tough question: do I want to be a lawyer? “It’s not an easy job. Being a lawyer means more than just arguing a case, or filing the right paperwork; it means that there’s a good chance that at some point, you’re going to be responsible for the future and livelihood of another human being. Everything I do, I do knowing that it has the potential to affect my boss’s career. It’s an overwhelming feeling, and it’s something you need to be prepared for,” she said.