Andres Gutierrez De Cos

While on one side I am an immigrant's son, with Spanish being my first language spoken in my home as a child, on the other side, I am equally proud of my Anglo-American heritage, and being somewhat typical Delaware-born-and-raised guy at the same time. One set of grandparents spoke only Spanish and only visited the US briefly; my other set of grandparents proudly served this country in World War II (yes, my grandma was a WAC!) As with many families in Delaware, they came to Delaware in the 1950s for a job with DuPont. I value the unusual synergy of being a first generation Hispanic immigrant, yet technically being eligible to be a "Son of the American Revolution" at the same time. Except for my 1 year in Spain and 2 months in Mexico, I have lived my entire life in Delaware. I attended Maple Lane Elementary; Darley Road Elementary; P.S. DuPont Elementary; Burnett Elementary; Hanby Junior High; and graduated from Concord High School in 1998.

Prior to becoming a Delaware attorney, I worked for the following: Camp Arrowhead in Lewes, DE; Summer of Respect summer camp in Wilmington, DE; Funscape/Regal Cinemas, Target, Wawa, Sears Hardware, Grotto Pizza, Eagle Diner, Doubletree Hotel, and many more. I value my non-professional work experiences very much, and worry that many attorneys lack familiarity with every day work life. I clerked with the Community Legal Aid Society in both Wilmington and Georgetown, Delaware, helping bring much-needed help to those in need, worked with CAMP Rehoboth, and also clerked for a small but very successful personal injury firm. I also had the pleasure of traveling a bit. In 2006 I drove from Northern New Jersey to El Salvador, hauling trailered boats. When living in Spain, in 2003, I did the usual tours of nearby countries, but am most proud of having gone to Dakar, Senegal... without the use of any airplanes. The first trans-sahara paved road was finished just AFTER I had crossed it twice on terribly bumpy roads. I value this time, especially the time in "third-world" countries, because it teaches you more than you can possibly explain, and gives you an appreciation for other cultures as well as your own culture(s).

I got my professional education at University of Delaware(2003) and at Widener University School of Law (2007). I was admitted to the Delaware Bar in December, 2007. Since finishing law school, I worked as a commercial litigation paralegal at Young, Conaway, Stargatt, and Taylor, working employment, bankruptcy, foreclosures, and construction disputes. I then worked as an attorney for Swartz Campbell, a top quality regional defense firm, where I defended insurance companies, drivers of vehicles that had been sued, and manufacturers of asbestos. I attended numerous mediation and arbitration hearings for car accident cases, 3 trials regarding auto accidents, and was sent out of state 43 times for depositions in mesothelioma and asbestosis cases.

I am now happy to have my own practice, specializing in what I know best - personal injury, real estate transactions, and debt collections. I believe it is unfair to the clients to try to be that small-town lawyer who can do it all. The more areas you cover, the less an expert you will be at each of them.

I am downstate fairly often, and am happy to serve clients throughout the State of Delaware. I work only in the Delaware court systems, and have come to know them well.

I am thrilled to provide a level of service to mostly immigrant clients that can not be found elsewhere. We regularly process lost wages for immigrants working under false names or who have no social security number or taxpayer ID, etc. Unfortunately, many people and even attorneys think that there are limits to recovery when there in fact are not. We also make it a point to accompany clients who are not used to being in this country for events such as picking up a rental car after an accident, etc. We are a firm that is fluent in Spanish, French, and Hatian Creole, however, we go much further than just being able to speak other languages. Our understanding of what it feels like to be in a brand new place extends to every aspect of our service of our clients.

I, my family, my firm and our staff strongly believe in equality for LGBT persons, not just legal equality but social equality. That means that not only do we not tolerate discrimination, but we strive for an environment of absolute acceptance. We are a safe space where a LGBT client can discuss their home life, situation, etc., without any worry whatsoever about whether they will be judged.