I’m very excited to introduce myself as The Dakotan’s newest contributor. I’m blessed to have this opportunity and will do my very best to entertain, inspire, or both, with each column.
Now, here’s a little about me. I’ve been a licensed attorney since 2009 and I own and operate Worthington & Schultz, P.C., a law firm in Minot. As part of my association with The Dakotan, I’ve also been hired as their general attorney and I look forward to helping their staff in any way I can. I’m also no stranger to public life: my mother was the editor for a daily newspaper, and my father was on the City Council in my hometown. I, myself, have been involved in local issues in the recent past, as a candidate for countywide public office, and as a vice-chair and secretary of the Northwest region of the North Dakota Young Republicans.
Born and raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, my Kentucky roots transferred well to the North Dakota prairie. These areas share the values of hard work, respect, civility, service, and honor, as well as a distaste for bureaucracy and red tape. We like handshake deals and following through. We see wrong, and try to right it; see suffering, and try to heal it; and see good, and try to magnify it.
Along my journey from a crib in the holler to a home on the range, I earned a bachelor's degree in political science, and then received a law degree from Saint Louis University. After a brief stint in the U.S. Army, I started my law practice in North Dakota, working in family law and criminal defense, and eventually added creditors’ rights to my portfolio, helping local businesses collect on money they’re owed. Besides being a husband, a son, and a brother, I’m also a homeowner, small business owner, veteran, and taxpayer. My home is my castle and I will defend it with my God, my guns, and my guts.
Lately, like many of you, my thoughts have been overcrowded with concern over local and national political and law-related events, and how they will affect my family, my business, and myself. Sometimes it feels like we live in an ever-changing, more complex dystopia. Whole policy objectives appear to be based on half-truths and misinformation, pitting neighbor against neighbor in a clash of polished talking points, pushed by talking heads who sit in glitzy television studios, thousands of miles away.
I have a singular purpose in contributing to this publication – education and awareness about the political and legal issues which have a deep impact on our community. No red tape, no bureaucracy, no talking heads. With luck, The Dakotan’s readers will appreciate my direct, undiluted viewpoint about things that affect all of us. I hope it will be a fascinating ride.
In addition to being a contributing writer, Andrew Schultz is The Dakotan’s legal counsel. He owns and operates Worthington & Schultz, P.C., a law firm in Minot. Visit www.worthingtonschultz.com.
