Amy Papuga
Amy Papuga leverages her significant experience in trucking litigation to provide thoughtful counsel to the Tucker Ellis Mass Tort & Product Liability Group in defending motor vehicle accident cases.
Amy is experienced in complex personal injury cases including commercial motor vehicle accidents involving wrongful death and catastrophic injuries. She has experience in all aspects of civil litigation from initial pleadings through resolution. In addition, Amy holds a Class A Commercial Driver’s License and previously taught safe driving practices at a truck driving school. This experience, combined with her legal knowledge, gives her a unique perspective in evaluating, understanding, and applying federal and state motor carrier regulations.
Amy takes a hands-on, analytic approach to each case and views every case as though it is going to trial. She has a strong background in developing facts, and uses her experience – including second-chair trial experience – to continuously analyze and develop trial strategy for each case. Amy is part of Tucker Ellis’s Fleet Defense team that serves as national counsel in motor vehicle accident litigation.
Outside the office, Amy enjoys dog-training activities with her Belgian Malinois, gardening, and supporting local short track racing.
- Education
- Cleveland State University College of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2019)
- University of Cincinnati (M.S. in Criminal Justice, 2011)
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas (B.A. in Criminal Justice, 2009); Phi Kappa Phi; Alpha Phi Sigma
- State Admissions
- Ohio, 2019
- District of Columbia, 2021
- Second chair in a jury trial representing a woman seriously injured in a rear-end collision of a commercial motor vehicle; United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio (2023)
- Member of a trial team in a case of the wrongful death of two children in Fargo, North Dakota; Cass County District Court (2021)
Speaking Engagements
- “Finding and Reviewing Essential Documents for Truck Crash Cases,” Academy of Trial Accident Attorneys, Paralegal Program, Nashville, Tennessee (September 2024)
- “Effectively Using the CDL Manual in Truck Crash Cases,” Ohio Association for Justice, 2024 Annual Convention, Columbus, Ohio (May 2024)
- “How Having a Class A Commercial Drivers’ License and Why Teaching CMV Drivers Matters as a Truck Lawyer,” American Association for Justice, 2023 Annual Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (July 2023)
- “The Importance of Obtaining a CDL,” Oklahoma Association of Justice, Trucking Litigation Intensive, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (September 2022)
- “The Dean Team: Trial Verdict, Case Analysis, and Breakdown,” North Dakota Association for Justice, 2022 Annual Seminar, Trucking Breakout Group, Fargo, North Dakota (May 2022)
- “Overcoming Bad Evidence: How to Fight, Supplement and Overturn a Bad Crash Report, Review Evidence, Uncover Witnesses and Other Pertinent Information at the Scene,” Academy of Trial Accident Attorneys, Paralegal Program, Austin, Texas (September 2019)
- Great Lakes Truck Driving School, Invited Faculty (2020–present)
- Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars® (2023–2025)
- The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 under 40 (2024)
- American Bar Association
- Lorain County Bar Association
- Ohio State Bar Association
- Section Council – Women in the Profession (2025)
- Cleveland Academy of Trial Lawyers
