Mentors

In 1981, family law attorney Robert Zashin co-founded Zashin & Rich, which now has 21 lawyers in Cleveland and Columbus. He passed away in 2010 at age 70, and sons Andrew and Stephen assumed leadership. Andrew heads the domestic relations division.

My dad had a certain magic. He was friendly, he was boisterous, he was loud. He was larger than life, but he wasn’t put-on at all. Growing up, I have a very clear memory of [going] to court with him. I don’t remember the case, but he walked in and was totally in command of that entire room. I got the sense that the courtroom, that space, that case, all the energy was about him.

He was a divorce lawyer before there were divorce lawyers. People came to him because they felt he would solve their problems. He gave them comfort, irrespective of the magnitude of their problems. He was a big-picture person. He liked making a difference in people’s lives. And he shared that with me. That was probably the inspiration for me in joining him and doing this type of work.

He did a [legally themed] talk radio show that still exists. He connected to lots of people that way; he [spoke] to every man. The law firm still continues it. Today the firm [also] blogs, writes electronically and in print, and reaches out in other ways. Our practice has thrived, and it’s growing nationally, and I’ve been doing a lot of international work. He wanted very much to see his law firm and his career as part of a legacy. This is a guy who came from nothing; he just made it by dint of his hard work and his personality.