Andrew N. Herbach

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Looking at the travel guides spread around his office, you would never know that Andrew “Andy” Herbach is a bankruptcy lawyer with the heart of a social worker.

The son of an Indiana steelworker and a stay-at-home mom, Herbach learned early how to get things done in life.

He got a job as a social worker, his major, to put himself through Valparaiso University in Indiana. When he moved to Milwaukee to attend Marquette Law School, Herbach worked as a law clerk to pay his way.

At 48, Herbach is a partner with the Howard, Solochek & Weber S.C. law firm in Milwaukee.

His resume has put him a long way from the steel mills of his youth. But the self-described “get-it-done person” has always kept his heart close to those who have no choice but to do for themselves.

Nowhere is that more evident than through his work with the Pro Se Help Desk for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Herbach started the help desk in 2006, after a bankruptcy judge told him that people who were representing themselves were getting stuck in the system.

“They didn’t have a lawyer. They didn’t do things correctly. And they couldn’t afford a lawyer,” Herbach said.

After visiting a Chicago help desk, Herbach decided something similar could be set up in Milwaukee. Word-of-mouth brought in his only other initial volunteer, Milwaukee attorney Marie Nienhuis.

Together, Herbach and Nienhuis repaired the work of bankruptcy petition preparers — a cheap alternative to lawyers, who can end up costing bankruptcy filers with incorrect or substandard work product, Herbach said. They also educated pro se petitioners about the ins and outs of the court.

Today, 10 volunteers take shifts weekly or monthly, staffing the Thursday morning help desk at the federal courthouse on East Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. Last year, the desk had more than 300 appointments; many people come to the desk only once.

“We have people who are living in cars and have gotten a job and want to start over. We have people who are on very fixed incomes and would not be able to afford a lawyer,” Herbach said. “They’re very thankful that they have somebody to get them through the system. It makes all the difference for them.”

The work also has made a difference for Herbach, who has found the balance to work and volunteer, while still pursuing his personal passion: writing European travel guides.