Our Attorney
Ama Appiah, Esquire
Ms. Appiah earned her Bachelor of Science degree at the State University of New York College at Buffalo, cum laude, with a specialization in graphic design. She freelanced as a graphic designer prior to entering the study of law. She also worked as a legal assistant and paralegal for the U.S. Small Business Administration - Disaster Assistance Office in Niagara Falls, NY. The Disaster Assistance Office provided federal loans and grants to those who suffered physical damage to their homes and physical and/or economic injury to their businesses as a result of a natural disaster.
Attorney Appiah earned her law degree from Albany Law School in Albany, NY, in 2003. It was there that she gained extensive appellate experience. She interned for a substantial amount of time with the Albany County District Attorney's Office Criminal Appeals Division. She also interned for the Hon. Thomas J. McAvoy in the U.S. Northern District Court of New York, as well as with the Corporations Division of the New York State Department of State. Upon graduating from law school and moving to Florida in 2003, Ms. Appiah worked for a solo practitioner whose practice focused on criminal and general civil litigation.
Ms. Appiah was a Special Assistant Public Defender with the Tenth Judicial Public Defender's Office, in felony criminal appellate cases for 16 years, from 2005 - 2021. She has also acted as a Program Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem Program, and as an Appellate Senior Program Attorney for the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Program from 2007 to 2009. She represented the Guardian ad Litem Program in District Courts of Appeal throughout the state of Florida.
Ms. Appiah has been running her solo practice since 2008. Her practice areas are: appeals, creative arts & entertainment law, and trademark & copyright law.
Ms. Appiah was the editor of, and a contributing author in, the 4th edition of Cultural Issues in Criminal Defense (Juris 2015). She has also been published in the March 2019 edition of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) magazine, The Champion.
In 2018, Ms. Appiah received the Leaders in the Law award from the Pinellas Chapter of Florida Association of Women Lawyers. In 2017, she received an Honorable Mention Pro Bono Service award from the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida.
She has been a previous member of several professional organizations including the St. Petersburg Bar Association, Clearwater Bar Association, and Fred G. Minnis Bar Association. Ms. Appiah is currently a member of the Pinellas Chapter of Florida Association for Women Lawyers. Ms. Appiah has served on the boards of several community non-profits including Creative Clay, Inc., Gulfcoast Legal Services, and League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area.
In addition to her law practice, Ms. Appiah is the managing partner of a.Appiah Designs, LLC, a fine arts and graphic design business based in St. Petersburg, FL. She participates in exhibits in the Tampa Bay area and around the country, as well as provides graphic design and social media services for businesses and non-profit organizations.
Ms. Appiah is admitted to practice in Florida state courts, and in the U.S. Middle District and U.S. Southern District Courts of Florida.