Biography
Andrew Gendi was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but was raised in the Clear Lake area of Houston, Texas. He attended Clear Brook High School where he played football and track and received an Outstanding Student Award before graduating in 2013. He went on to attend Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) in Arkadelphia, Arkansas on a football scholarship. At OBU, Andrew earned the starting defensive tackle spot as a true freshman, accumulating 88 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, and 3 sacks in his 4 years. He started in over 40 games, helping his team to 4 consecutive winning seasons, a conference championship, and a run at the NCAA Division 2 National Playoffs. With as involved as Andrew was on the football field at OBU, he was just as involved off of it. He majored in Political Science, minored in English Literature, and was vice president of OBU’s Pre-Law Society and Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society. He graduated from OBU with honors in 2017.
After college, Andrew attended Texas Tech University School of Law in Lubbock, Texas, where he realized his passion for criminal defense work. While in law school, he participated as a student attorney in Texas Tech’s Criminal Defense Clinic, being appointed to represent real individuals facing felony and misdemeanor charges, under the supervision of two experienced and respected law professors. As a student attorney in the Criminal Defense Clinic, Andrew obtained a 68% dismissal rate on his clients’ cases and received clinic distinction awards in both of his semesters in the program. As a law student, he clerked for the law offices of Laurie Key and Rusty Gunter in Lubbock, helping in the defense of a wide range of criminal cases. He also interned for the Regional Public Defenders Office for Capital Cases in Angleton, Texas, where he aided attorneys and investigators in the defense of individuals being charged with capital murder. Additionally, Andrew also served as the vice president of Tech Law’s Criminal Law Association. He graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law in May of 2021 and passed the bar shortly after.
Andrew is excited to bring his passion for criminal defense to Thiessen Law Firm. He prides himself on communication, giving his cell phone number to all his clients for their convenience. He has a desire to help and will represent his clients aggressively, with care and diligence as he navigates them through the criminal process.