The History of Andreozzi + Foote

In 2006, Ben Andreozzi had been practicing law for several years and advanced to working at a large and respected Philadelphia-based law firm.  However, he felt unfulfilled by the work, which largely involved representing insurance companies and businesses.  Realizing that the reason he went to law school was to advocate and fight for people, not organizations, Ben took a leap of faith and decided to start a law firm.

It was not until 2008, that Ben’s purpose and the firm’s mission became clear.  In that year, a former student at a private school came forward to Ben Andreozzi and disclosed that he had been sexually abused by a volunteer at the school. The victim had consulted with other civil attorneys who would investigate the young man’s case but essentially gave up because they feared the legal challenges, including the statute of limitations. A statute of limitations is a timeframe that limits the ability to bring certain kinds of legal action against an offender or institution.

After hearing the young man’s story, Ben knew he had to find a path to justice.  Failing was not an option.   Ben spent morning, noon, and night in search of creative loopholes to navigate the legal problems which had caused others to drop the case.   He also found other victims of the same perpetrator who courageously came forward, shared helpful information, and sought to pursue their own cases.  Ben was able to bring that case to a very favorable resolution for that young man and many others who were abused by that perpetrator.

What happened after the case was resolved was powerful.   Of course, the settlement did not erase the pain of the abuse.  Yet, Ben watched as the clients used the settlement money on resources to help better their lives.  The clients put themselves on a path toward recovery.  Ben stayed in touch with many of those clients on a personal level for years after.  Some continue to express their gratitude to this day.  Ben realized he had found his calling in life.  The firm needed to focus on representing survivors of sexual abuse in civil cases.

If the firm were to expand into this complex area of law, Ben realized he couldn’t do it alone.  While representing many of Jerry Sandusky’s victims in claims against Penn State University, Ben found an eager and competent law student – Nathaniel Foote – to help.  Nate came from a long line of attorneys.  But he knew that he wanted to do something a little different from his predecessors.  He wanted to represent real people with real problems.  Nate sought Ben’s firm because Ben was doing that – helping deserving people.

Nate’s first client meeting was with the family of a devastated crime victim. Nate was struck by their strength in the face of tragedy. He saw people who deserved help. Nate knew representing crime victims was the kind of work that would make it easy to do his best every day.

Since that meeting Nate has worked with Ben to advocate for crime victims in the courts, with the media, and in the legislature. Nate’s daily mantra is the firm’s guiding principle: life-changing results for victims and their families.  Nate is proud of the firm’s work in this regard.  The firm really does change people’s lives.

Ben and Nate’s partnership attracted more great people.  The firm now employs other skilled attorneys and paralegals who share their mission.  The firm is now a leading sexual abuse law firm in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States.  And the firm’s results speak for themselves.  Ben and Nate received a jury verdict of $88 million for a single sexual abuse survivor.  The verdict set a Pennsylvania record.  The firm is also the only team that has taken sex abuse cases to trial in the western, central, and eastern parts of Pennsylvania.  So, while many attorneys shy away from taking cases to trial, the opposite is true for Ben and Nate. The late Slade McLaughlin, a friend of the firm, once said to “never settle for a lawyer who only knows how to settle.”  Ben and Nate believe in this creed.

While not backing down to the other side, Ben and Nate understand that the most important role of the lawyer is to listen to the client and create a path toward recovery that is specifically designed for that individual survivor.  This usually means settling the case before trial.  It is a delicate balance to press a case for the best resolution while not interfering with a survivor’s recovery, and the firm prides itself on how it is able to carefully navigate this tightrope.  It takes a true mastery of the legal issues presented by individual cases as well as issues related to the client’s trauma to reach the best possible outcome in a case.

To this day, Ben remains active in most aspects of the firm and is committed to overseeing the growth and execution of Andreozzi + Foote’s mission.  He particularly enjoys working with the firm’s attorneys to ensure the best possible resolution is reached for every one of the firm’s clients.

Nate serves as the head of litigation and in this role devises strategies that fit the unique circumstances of each of the firm’s cases.  He has created litigation systems and procedures that allow the firm’s attorneys and paralegals to efficiently seek justice.