Cleveland Jewish News
Profile on Andrew A. Zashin of Zashin & Rich
January 15, 2015 | By Ed Wittenberg
Andrew A. Zashin is proud that he was the only domestic relations lawyer ranked in the Top 50 Cleveland Super Lawyers in the 2015 edition of Ohio Super Lawyers.
“We have a larger practice than most that do family law,” he said. “I work with an excellent, dedicated and talented team of domestic relations lawyers, all of whom are top-notch and have won honors themselves. Our collaborative, interactive approach helps us get our clients results.
“We’re doing family law at a level that I think is special in this area. The issues we’re handling are truly unusual as far as family law goes. We handle some cases that are off the grid.”
Zashin is co-managing partner and heads the domestic relations division of Zashin Law, based in Cleveland. He has been selected as a Super Lawyer in Ohio every year since 2004, and he also has been recognized for the past 10 years by The Best Lawyers in America, which named him Lawyer of the Year for Family Law in Cleveland for 2013.
“We are strategic thinkers, as opposed to many other family law attorneys,” he said. “While other people play checkers, we liken our practice to playing chess. We’re looking at the end game, we’re trying to look seven steps ahead, with the philosophical goal of trying to obtain the best results for our clients considering their unique circumstances.”
Zashin’s father, Robert I. Zashin, was a lawyer who co-founded Zashin Law in 1981. He said his father, who died in 2010, inspired him to join the firm and do this type of work.
“I had the privilege and honor of practicing with him for a while,” he said. “This is all I’ve ever done. Starting in seventh grade, I would come down to work with him, like an office rat.”
Zashin said his firm has handled some cases that have received national and international publicity. He noted he has been interviewed as a legal commentator by Anderson Cooper and on the “Today” show, CNN and NPR.
“I’ve been blessed in my career to have achieved a high degree of success relatively early, and I continue to achieve accolades that further burnish my family’s legacy of achievements in the family law disciplines,” he said.
“I’m especially proud of being able to help people in times of their personal distress. It’s gratifying when I help people achieve the best results in their circumstances.”
Zashin, who writes a monthly column on law for the Cleveland Jewish News, also teaches a course in advanced family law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, where he serves as an adjunct professor.
Zashin, who grew up in Pepper Pike and graduated from University School in Hunting Valley, earned a law degree from CWRU School of Law. He has practiced law since 1993 – always with Zashin & Rich.
“Our practice has grown and is statewide,” he said, noting the firm has a Columbus office. “We moved to a new space on the east bank of the Flats last June.
“We’re proud of our connection to the city. We want to keep our Cleveland roots but expand our borders regionally, domestically and internationally.”
Name: Andrew A. Zashin
Age: 46
Residence: Pepper Pike
Synagogue: Solon Chabad
Other Jewish affiliation: Independent Israeli charities and Jewish National Fund
Why he became an attorney: “My father, Robert I. Zashin, came from New Jersey to attend law school in Cleveland. Cleveland treated him well, and he started a practice here. By the time I graduated law school, my father and I decided it would be nice if I would continue in the same profession.”