by Dominic Calabrese
For the past 35 years, Andrew L. Goldstein has served with great distinction as pro-bono counsel for the Publicity Club of Chicago, advising the Club and its leaders on financial, membership, and other pressing matters during a time when the public relations profession itself experienced tumultuous change.
At the same time, he was carving out a highly successful forty-year-plus legal career, doing everything from representing a major university at the dawn of the World Wide Web, when developers left the University to form a company offering the first web browser, to negotiating landmark deals that included telecommunications outsourcing contracts for AT&T and first-time software licenses with IBM.
In between, he has received a host of top honors. These include being named one of the Best Lawyers in America for copyright and entertainment law and receiving the prestigious Thomas R. Leavens Award from Lawyers for the Creative Arts for lifetime contributions to law and the arts in Chicago.
Goldstein is currently with the Intellectual Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, L.L.P., and previously was a Partner at Freeborn & Peters, which combined with SGR in 2023, and was also a partner at Sidley & Austin. He focuses his practice on Intellectual Property and Information Technology, with extensive experience in trademark, copyright, and trade dress; internet, website, cloud computing, technology, outsourcing, the Internet of Things, and computer law in general; advertising, marketing, and promotion law; and entertainment law, including video production, theater, and dance-related matters. It’s this connection of professional interests with PCC's mission that led him to offer his services to the organization.
"All of us can't thank Andy enough for the wise and prudent counsel he has provided and for his critical role in keeping PCC afloat," says PCC Co-President Anne Marie Mitchell, "For this and so much more, we are thrilled to bestow the Presidential Legacy Award to him at this year’s Golden Trumpet Awards ceremony."
A native Chicagoan who received both business and law degrees with the highest honors from the University of Illinois, Goldstein considers his time with PCC both a "pleasure and a privilege."
"I am honored and humbled to be receiving this award," he says, noting that the Club had gone through some truly tough “on the brink” times, grappling with low finances and waning leadership. "I stuck with PCC during those down times, and the group eventually revitalized."
Goldstein is no stranger to community service, having also received, among other aforementioned honors, the Outstanding Volunteer Service Award (Inaugural Award) from the International Trademark Association (INTA).
He has long had an appreciation for public relations, something he saw firsthand in his future father-in-law, who practiced PR throughout his life.
Goldstein, who met his wife (also an attorney) at the U of I law school, recalls how PR even played a role in his marriage.
"After we graduated, we returned to Champaign for a football game, and I proposed to her by chartering a plane that flew over the stadium with a banner reading, ‘Lori—will you marry me? – Andy.’"
His father-in-law subsequently wrote up the story, and it was published in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. The Goldsteins would go on to have two daughters, now 29 and 32, and a son-in-law.
In addition to his stellar legal career, Goldstein has demonstrated great proficiency in the creative sphere, having worked on various movies and video productions. Among his production credits are First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb (2015), produced by HMS Media; Full Body Whisper (2013), directed by Ravi Batista; and Andrew Bird: Fever Year (2011), directed by Xan Aranda.
Asked how and when he first got involved with PCC, Goldstein says it was 1990, when Herb Krause, another legendary PR figure, was president.
"There was a huge fight brewing between two candidates to be the next President," he recalls. "I was on the Board of Lawyers for the Creative Arts, a pro bono organization that provides free legal services to needy artists. Herb contacted LCA looking for a lawyer to help with the upcoming election, and I got tapped."
Goldstein explains that he went to a PCC members meeting where the two candidates were presenting, carrying a copy of Robert's Rules of Order tucked under his arm.
"As it turned out, I basically had to referee a fight," he laughs. "I was a very young lawyer at the time and learned a valuable lesson that day. Sometimes the matter is not about the law; rather, it is about managing the situation with just plain good sense."
Goldstein says a highlight of his time with PCC has been meeting and working with truly outstanding people.
"There are too many to mention," he reflects. "However, one stands out for me, past five-time president Dave Brimm, who was the heart and soul of the Club for many years. He was a great guy, a good friend, and I miss him."
He adds that among the most memorable experiences he had with PCC was shaking hands with former President Jimmy Carter, who spoke at the 2014 Golden Trumpets event.
Looking ahead, Goldstein expresses optimism about the future of the Club.
"I think the future is bright for PCC. It has good, solid leadership through Tweed Thornton as Executive Director and the Board, while its programs remain beneficial for members and continue to get better."
Goldstein will be honored with the Presidential Legacy Award at the 2025 Golden Trumpet Awards ceremony on Thursday evening, September 18. For further information and to order tickets, visit publicity.org.
(photo above of former President Jimmy Carter and Andrew Goldstein at the 2014 Golden Trumpet Awards, photo credit: Kring Group)