Staff
Amy Dawson
Amy Dawson is the Executive Director of the Autism Advocacy & Law Center, LLC. She began practicing law in 1992 at the firm of Faegre & Benson, L.L.P. in Minneapolis after graduating from The Indiana University School of Law (Bloomington, IN). Amy’s law practice focuses on issues related to autism, disabilities, insurance, supplemental needs trusts, guardianship, estate planning, family law, and special education for families who have children with disabilities.
Amy served on the Minnesota Senate Autism Task Force, and participated in efforts by the U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau to develop guidelines on the care of children who have autism within the medical home. Amy is the parent of twins, one of whom has a history of autism and special health care needs. Amy previously served as the Director of the Health Advocacy and Information Center at the PACER Center and is a recent member of the Board of the Arc Greater Twin Cities. For more about Amy and the mission of the firm, please read our “About” section.
Jason is a Staff Attorney with the Autism Advocacy & Law Center. Jason focuses his practice on special education law, guardianship and criminal defense. Prior to working at the Autism Advocacy & Law Center, Jason was an attorney with the State Public Defenders Office. As a public defender, Jason represented hundreds of clients in criminal, juvenile delinquency and child protection cases. Jason has experience as a personal care attendant working with individuals who have autism.Jason received his law degree from William Mitchell College of Law in 2010. While in law school, Jason was a Student Attorney with the Legal Assistance to Minnesota Prisoners (LAMP) program. Jason received his Bachelor of Arts degree in German and Social Justice studies from Hamline University in 2004.
Jason is very active in the Twin Cities legal community. He is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association and is on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association. Jason is also a volunteer attorney with the Lavender Lawyers program, an organization providing pro bono legal services to GLBT youth.
In his free time Jason is a skating official for regional roller derby teams and plays roller derby for the Minneapolis men’s team, the Twin City Terrors.
Amy Dawson is the parent of twins, one of whom has autism and special health care needs. She began practicing law in 1992 at the firm of Faegre & Benson, L.L.P. in Minneapolis. She also worked at the PACER Center and is a member of the Board of the Arc Greater Twin Cities. Amy’s law practice focuses on issues related to autism, disabilities, insurance and estate planning.
Bob Gunderson inspired me to devote my practice to individuals who have disabilities, their families, and the organizations that serve them. Bob Gunderson was my mentor, friend and colleague and I miss him very much. Bob Gunderson served the disability community as an attorney, as a brother, and as a dedicated volunteer who spent many hours in service to organizations such as Opportunity Partners, Fraser, PACER, and the Arc of Minnesota and Arc Greater Twin Cities.