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From Big Ten to Big Brother, Weininger finds his domain

By: JESSICA STEPHEN//September 30, 2015//

From Big Ten to Big Brother, Weininger finds his domain

By: JESSICA STEPHEN//September 30, 2015//

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Andrew Weininger always knew he wanted to open his own firm.

He just wasn’t sure what kind of law he’d practice.

“When I started out, I was doing everything from state public defender appointments, SPD criminal appeals, trust and estates, general civil litigation, just whatever I could. I thought the wider net I cast, the more I would get. But it ended up stretching my time so much, I realized about a year and a half in, it wasn’t sustainable,” said Weininger, a former Barry Alvarez-era offensive lineman, who considered becoming a sports agent before embracing eminent domain.

“It was kind of counterintuitive, but it led to a lot to cases. And it was so busy I ended up partnering with another eminent domain attorney.”

In fact, since starting his firm in 2011, Weininger has not only taken on that partner, he’s also added an associate attorney and a handful of assistants to expand the reach of his firm — one of the only in Wisconsin to focus exclusively on eminent domain law.

It definitely makes him a rare bird, but that’s not the only thing that makes Weininger exceptional.

“He’s a great teacher,” associate attorney J.J. Rolling said. “It’s easy to speak over a client’s head in this area; there’s some stuff that’s just really confusing. But he makes sure the clients understand what’s going on.”

Weininger is also an exceptional member of the community. He spends lunch hours teaching at a local elementary school, he volunteers at Easter Seals and, until recently, he was a Big Brother.

For Weininger, community involvement is as important as his work as an attorney.

“It dates back to when I was on the football team,” Weininger said. “I don’t think the kids are as excited as when I was wearing a jersey, but I like getting out in the community. I like being involved.”

It’s a philosophy that influences his work, as well.

“You meet a lot of really good people who work very hard, pay their mortgages, run their own businesses and then they’re thrown into these eminent domain proceedings, where their property happens to be part of a road project or some public project. And we get to help them. It’s been very rewarding.”

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