Andrew grew up in Highland Park, Illinois.  He attended college at Harvard, receiving a magna cum laude degree in Government.  After graduation, he worked as a legislative aide in Washington D.C. for U.S. Rep. Jim Guy Tucker.  He then attended law school at the University of California, Berkeley where he finished in the top 10% of his class and was selected for Order of the Coif. 

In 2006, Andrew was elected President of the Palo Alto Area Bar Association and still holds that position. 

In law school, Andrew served as a Vice President and member of the Board of Directors of the Berkeley Law Foundation which raises money for pro bono legal activities.  After graduation, he worked as a research attorney for The Honorable Joseph Grodin of the California Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Prior to forming Pierce & Shearer in September 2001, Andrew worked for many years for Cox Buchanan Padmore & Shakarchy in Palo Alto and, before that, for Goldstein & Phillips, a litigation firm in San Francisco.  Andrew has extensive experience representing both employers and employees in employment/ labor law matters. He is also experienced in appellate practice, real estate, insurance and business litigation. 

Andrew has been a faculty member of Lincoln Law School in San Jose and John F. Kennedy University Law School in Walnut Creek.  He has taught entertainment and sports law, constitutional law and appellate advocacy.  He has also appeared as a guest lecturer on employment law for start up businesses at the Hastings and the Santa Clara University law schools for over ten years. 

Andrew was appointed to the Santa Clara County Human Relations Commission by Supervisor Joe Simitian in 1998 and reappointed by Supervisor Liz Kniss in 2001.  He was elected Chair of the Commission in 2002 and 2003.  He was appointed by the Palo Alto City Council to serve on the Palo Alto Human Relations Commission from 1997 to 2003 and was elected Chair in 2000 and 2001.  He currently serves as president of the Palo Alto Area Bar Association.

Andrew resides in Palo Alto, California, where he enjoys amateur astronomy, San Francisco Giants baseball, music and spending time with his family.

EDUCATION
Harvard University, A.B. 1977, magna cum laude
University of California, Berkeley, J.D., 1981, Order of the Coif

REGISTRATION
California (all courts)
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
United States District Courts for the Eastern, Northern and Central Districts of California

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
McLaughlin & Irvin, San Francisco, CA (1987-1989)
Goldstein & Phillips, San Francisco, CA (1989-1994)
Cox Buchanan Padmore & Shakarchy, Palo Alto, CA (1995-2001)

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
California Bar Association
Palo Alto Area Bar Association

PUBLICATIONS AND LECTURES
“Regulating Our Mischievous Factions: Presidential Nominations On The Law,” 78 Kentucky Law Journal 311-375 (1990); Contributor to: Employment At Will; A State by State Survey, A Report Of The Employment And Labor Relations Law Committee Of The Litigation Section Of The American Bar Association; John F. Kennedy University School of Law, Walnut Creek California, Adjunct Professor 1994-1995; Courses: Appellate Advocacy; Lincoln University Law School, San Jose, California, Faculty 1989-1994; Courses: Entertainment and Sports Law, Constitutional Law, Community Property.