Andrew hired me almost 10 years ago when I was a bit lost, going through a rather rough patch career wise. I thought I was looking for an easy, mindless job. Something to fill the time while I figured out what I wanted to do with my life. All I knew for sure was that I did not want to work for any large corporation ever again. I was sick of the politics and the headaches involved with managing others. I was terrible at the administrative job Andrew hired me to do. I had poor typing skills, made numerous mistakes on documents, and was technically challenged. Thankfully, Andrew saw beyond that. He began putting me on more meetings and phone calls and away from all the paperwork. I was engaging more with clients which I loved and learning the puzzle pieces of Medicaid and VA qualification.

I remember sometime early on when we had a big meeting scheduled for a complex case involving several clients and two other law firms. I greeted everyone in our large conference room and went to get Andrew. He was wearing one of his famous T-shirts (I think it was the black zombie apocalypse one), jeans, and those combat boots that he never laced up. I say to him, “You do realize they are all wearing suits, right?” He says, “Oh yeah, I figured, let’s get in there.” Andrew goes in making one of his sarcastic jokes about how overdressed he feels and proceeds to lead the meeting. By meetings end, everyone knew he was the smartest, funniest, and most capable guy in the room. And he was that way in ANY room! Andrew never cared a lick about appearances, nor did he judge others on them.

I never once heard him raise his voice or lose his cool. An employee could be losing their shit, having a tantrum and he listened and smoothed it out. He could be mediating the most difficult family feud with clients ready to throw down and kill one another and he’d single handedly bring them to peace and common ground ensuring all parties were heard.

He never charged for initial consultations or ongoing, sometimes exhausting phone calls or emails. He’d say, “People should be able to receive free information and legal advice and then kick the tires a while and decide if they want to retain us for anything.” He gave everyone equal time and consideration. He connected equally well with a brain surgeon or a rural back woods farmer. If someone came in for a consultation and needed help but did not have the money to pay for it, he ensured they received the help. He was fond of saying, “no good deed goes unpunished” when what should’ve been a quick fix turns into a ten-hour problem or years of needy folks bickering over twenty bucks. But he never wanted to nickel and dime people.

I think his greatest gift was making any situation and any person feel comfortable and valued. He was so amazing with our dementia and Alzheimer clients as he listened and never overlooked or dismissed them. Andrew would take their questions and no matter how off the wall, he could spin it to be the most brilliant and applicable question anyone could have ever thought of. He could also take the hand of a terminal client, look them in the eye and tell them it was going to be okay and they believed him.

Andrew was known for some of his funny sayings, I liked to call them “Andrewisms”. Here are some that past and present employee’s remember:

• You need to slow your brain way down.

• Write down what you know, solve for what you don’t know; partial credit counts.

• Don’t let a good crisis go to waste

• Pluck the low hanging fruit

• Figures don’t lie but liars can figure

• Prepare for the worst, hope for the best and end up somewhere in-between

• You gotta dance with the date that brought you.

• It’s like asking a date to prom, worse that can happen is they say no.

• You can never trust a lawyer; I mean you can trust me.

• Sometimes people meet with me and don’t get that warm, fuzzy, feeling.  Can you imagine that? Clearly a personality disorder on their part, but what can you do?

• Well, I guess it’s back to sensitivity training I go.

• I’m the 11th of 13th children.  It took my parents 11 tries to get it right and then they tried to replicate it a couple of times.

• I can’t wait for this computer/internet fad to end, coupled with, I love the smell of the mimeograph machine.

• Frank, you can’t kill them!  (Frank was Andrew’s father, and this was said by Andrew’s Mother often according to him.)

• Are you coming back to the office after the seminar Andrew?  I have ten things to go over with  you, his answer, “I doubt it” or “I didn’t plan on it” or “I hope not.”

• Get outta here and go play with the kids!

• God, I hate lawyers!

• Trust me, I’m a liar, I mean lawyer.

  Einterz Law offices was just supposed to be a pit stop but turned into the most rewarding career I could imagine. Andrew gave me every opportunity to succeed, allowed me take classes I wanted, always had my back. I can still hear him saying, “You’re smarter than you think and you can run circles around other attorneys with your Medicaid knowledge. Don’t ever be intimidated, let your results speak for themselves.” 

Nothing ever intimidated Andrew. I wish I had the opportunity to properly thank him for all he has done for me and the countless clients he has helped. I wish I could see him walk in our office, sitting or leaning on the filing cabinet, arms crossed, ornery grin, saying, “Hey dudes, how are things with you?”

I wish I could roll my eyes at him one more time.

One of his nephews said it best when he said, he taught me that being tough and being kind are not mutually exclusive. He was strong, smart, funny, frustrating, sometimes infuriating, talented, competitive and above all kind. He always said “family first”, but he didn’t just say it, he lived it. Rest easy boss man.