Quaker Valley grad named new Allegheny County Bar Association president

Amy (Barrick) Coco never forgot a saying learned from her late Advanced Placement English teacher Shirley Stevens at Quaker Valley High School.

“She taught me, ‘specific is terrific,’” said Coco, 57, a 1985 graduate.

She recalled several teachers and looked back fondly on her early education during her first day as the new Allegheny County Bar Association president.

Other favorites included the late Frau Janet Demma, a German language teacher, and the late Ed Schreiber, a biology teacher beloved by many, including Coco’s sister, Melissa (Barrick) McDaniel.

“Quaker Valley sort of prepared me for this,” Coco said on July 1. “Quaker Valley was a small school and it was a close-knit school. There were right around 100 people in my class. At the time I was there in the late ’70s and early ’80s, we had teachers that were really invested in us as students.

“My class particularly, but I think as a whole, the high school was very diverse. Especially for that time. Quaker Valley offered us a wide range of activities.”

The Sewickley native and yearbook editor currently lives in Indiana Township.

Coco was elected president following a successful campaign in a contested race before the ACBA’s nominating committee last year.

According to the ACBA’s website, the committee consists of 20 to 25 members, having current or prior involvement in the bar leadership and representing its varied divisions, sections and committees.

“The ACBA has been a very important part of my development as a lawyer in all aspects, and I am a little bit in awe of the fact that I am now in this position,” Coco said. “I’m honored and excited and ready to get started.”

Her one-year term expires June 30, 2026.

Coco replaces Regina Wilson, who completed her term as ACBA president the end of last month.

“Amy is an outstanding lawyer who has been dedicated to the ACBA and the legal profession throughout her career,” Wilson said. “She is a dynamic leader who is the ideal person to take on this role. I’m beyond excited about the ACBA’s future with Amy as president.”

The resume

After Quaker Valley, Coco went on to study journalism at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., where she earned a bachelor’s degree in 1989.

She made a future-defining decision in her junior year of college.

“I decided there was no way I was getting up at 3 a.m. to cover a fire or go to local government meetings and take notes and write stories on local governmental meetings,” Coco said. “But I knew I really liked my communications law class.”

She moved to Pittsburgh, got a job as a paralegal and focused on legal studies.

Coco attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, graduating magna cum lade in 1994.

Since then, she has focused her practice on professional responsibility. Coco represents lawyers, judges and law students in civil litigation matters, ethics, professional licensure and professional responsibility representation and counseling; risk management and law practice management counseling.

She has also practiced in personal injury, property and casualty and asbestos defense, as well as representing real estate, accounting and insurance professionals.

Her career began in 1994 with Weinheimer Schadel & Haber, where she became a partner in 2015. Weinheimer, Haber & Coco merged with DiBella Geer in 2021 and she is a shareholder there.

Coco has been a part of the ACBA for more than 30 years. She has served in various leadership roles, including its professional ethics committee. She served two terms on the ACBA board of governors and has chaired ACBA’s nominating committee, by-laws committee and lawyers professional liability committee. She has also been involved in the ACBA Women in Law Division.

She’s held similar roles with the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Philadelphia Bar Association and Washington County Bar Association.

She’s also actively involved in the Pitt Law Alumni Association and is the director of Pitt Law’s Incubator program, helping fellow Panthers set up legal practices.

Presidential initiative

Coco said one of her first duties as ACBA president is to focus on health and wellness.

She was diagnosed with stage IV esophageal cancer in August 2020.

She had to stop practicing law for at least six months and underwent aggressive treatments for about 18 months.

Coco said her cancer was induced by acid reflux and was fueled by stress. She has been in remission for about three years.

Her experience has shown how a lawyer can have a difficult time taking care of clients if they do not take care of themselves.

“I really believe that wellness for lawyers is not a luxury,” Coco said. “It’s actually a necessity. In my cases where I represented people, I’ve seen a sort of disconnect happening. As lawyers, we’re supposed to be the helpers. We’re not supposed to have problems, ourselves.

”Consequently, it becomes harder for us to reach out and ask for help when we need it, or take time off when we should. Realistically, lawyers can’t effectively meet any of their clients’ needs if they are neglecting their own well-being.”

She plans on introducing a variety of initiatives, including ways for lawyers to find support and act as if in a plane going through turbulence, “to put on your oxygen mask first, before helping others.”

Outside the office

When not in the office, courtroom or classroom, Coco enjoys time with her husband, Jeff, their two sons, Cam and Jordan, and knitting with fellow Quaker Valley alumni.

Coco said she and three others from her class meet virtually once a week to work on individual projects and catch up on life. The group is coordinated by Kris Kennedy, architect and former Sewickley Yarn Shop worker.

Coco picked up the hobby in 2021 to relax between cancer treatments.

She’s also a member of a book club in Fox Chapel, enjoys photography and going to baseball games, especially minor league and college games. Her sons played baseball for Central Catholic High School.

Coco said the family planned to celebrate her new ACBA role by attending the Pittsburgh Pirates game against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park.

Additional officers

The Allegheny County Bar Association also announced these officers for 2025-26: Dan Fitzsimmons of Pittsburgh’s South Side will serve as president-elect; Joseph Froetschel of Pittsburgh’s North Side will serve as secretary; and Jesse Exilus of Greenfield will serve as treasurer.