Monday, August 18, 2014: Daily Report

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Andy Goldner Selected As Rising Star in Georgia

Rising Stars 2014: Andrew Goldner

Andrew Goldner grew up listening to his father, Atlanta attorney Stephen Goldner, discuss cases. “When I was about 16, he switched to plaintiff work, and I saw a different enthusiasm for his career,” says the younger Goldner. “He could see the difference he was making in families’ lives. I knew I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, too.”

Goldner practiced as a defense lawyer for three years before joining Fried Rogers Goldberg, where he proved his ability to handle a variety of serious injury and wrongful death cases.

“Since starting his own firm four years ago, Andy has had a string of significant cases and significant (six- and seven-figure) outcomes for his clients,” says Michael Goldberg of Fried Rogers Goldberg. In Fulton County State Court, he recently won a $2 million verdict in a negligent supervision/premises liability case for the family of a mentally disabled young man who was improperly supervised and drowned in his facility’s pool. He also recently negotiated a $1.05 million settlement for an Atlanta DUI police officer who was catastrophically injured by a drunken driver, a policy limit for a young girl who suffered serious burns as a result of a homeowner’s negligent supervision of a bonfire, and one of the largest dog attack settlements for a 5-year-old client.

“We call him when we need an unusual approach,” said Goldberg. “His insights come from knowing both sides of the aisle, and he will go to great lengths to research, track down extra witnesses and do outside-the-box things that really change the value of a case.”

M. Gino Brogdon, a mediator with Henning Mediation and a former judge, observed Goldner’s talents from the bench. “He has Mach 5 brains, great personal charm and a work ethic that is unmatched by anyone,” says Brogdon. “If how hard you work determines the outcome, he’s never going to be defeated. You have to be passionate and a believer in your case to be an outstanding plaintiff lawyer, and Goldner has found his niche.” Although he loves to persuade juries, Goldner will settle when it’s in his client’s best interest. “A lawyer never puts his interest above the client, and you can always improve on your abilities,” he says.

Goldner says he’s developed a greater understanding for child injury cases since the birth of his 2-year-old twins. “I’ve come to understand that injury affects children differently, physically and emotionally. I advocate for those children as I’d want someone to advocate for my own,” he says.

“A lot of us view a case from the lens of a lawyer. Goldner can see what will be important to a juror,” says Barbara Marschalk, a partner at insurance defense firm Drew, Eckl & Farnham. Marschalk says she admires Goldner’s integrity, use of humor to reduce contention and ability to deflect egos and make points in the courtroom.

“If he says something, I can take it at face value. I trust him,” she says. Goldner says his father taught him that your reputation is the hardest thing to earn and the easiest thing to lose. “I’ve remembered that from the first day I set foot in a law office,” he says.