Attorney Advertising. This profile is independent editorial content produced by Awesome Attorneys and is not a paid placement. Nothing in this article constitutes legal advice or creates an attorney-client relationship. See our Methodology and Publisher Disclosure below.

Amanda Andrae: A Former Private Investigator, Now a Board-Certified Family Law Mediator

Before Amanda Andrae was an attorney, she spent six years working as a private investigator. It’s an unusual career path into family law, and one that shows up directly in how her firm describes its work: fact-finding and evidence gathering are foundational skills in contested divorce and custody litigation, and Andrae brings professional training in exactly that from a career that predates her law degree.

Origin and Background

Amanda R. Andrae holds a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology in addition to her J.D., and has been board certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2008 — 17 years of continuous certification as of this writing. Before founding Andrae Law, PLLC, she worked as a private investigator for six years. She has served five years on the Austin Bar Association’s Family Law Section Board and has been a member of the Collaborative Divorce Group of Texas for more than a decade. She has been recognized as a Super Lawyer for more than 10 years. The firm’s attorneys collectively bring over 40 years of combined legal experience.

Practice Concentration

Andrae Law is a full-service family law firm: divorce (contested, uncontested, and collaborative), child custody and paternity, custody modifications, child support, property division, adoption and CPS-related terminations, domestic violence and protective order matters, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and name changes. Andrae works both as litigating counsel and as a trained mediator — a dual role that lets her advise clients on which path (settlement or trial) actually fits their specific case rather than defaulting to one approach. For a broader comparison of Austin family law practices, see our Family Law & Divorce directory.

Notable Work / Track Record

As is standard for family law practices, Andrae Law does not publish verdict or settlement figures, since Texas family court outcomes are individualized and case records are frequently restricted from public access. Awesome Attorneys is disclosing that gap rather than substituting marketing language for it. What is independently verifiable is an unusually long, continuous certification and practice record: board certification maintained since 2008, five years of elected service on the Austin Bar’s Family Law Section Board, and over a decade of active membership in the Collaborative Divorce Group of Texas.

Client Voice

One detailed Avvo review, describing an amicable divorce involving children, multiple properties, and businesses, praised Andrae’s demeanor directly: “Amanda was kind, non-judgmental and very understanding to the challenges I was facing,” while also candidly noting, “Are there things that Amanda’s office could probably do better? Sure. But that’s true of any attorney or any business practice.” Awesome Attorneys is including that specific, balanced framing rather than a purely superlative quote, since a review that names a limitation alongside its praise carries more credibility than one that doesn’t. A separate peer endorsement, distinct from client reviews, described Andrae’s “wealth of knowledge and experience as a family law attorney” and her “creative solutions and client interaction” as setting her apart in a competitive Austin market.

Beyond the Courtroom

Andrae is a mentor and volunteer with Volunteer Legal Services and has volunteered with Austin Adoption Day for more than a decade — pro bono community involvement specifically tied to her practice area rather than general civic work. Her prior six-year career as a private investigator is a distinctive professional background not shared by most family law practitioners in this directory.

Recognition for This Austin Family Law Attorney

Peer-reviewed and third-party credentials: board certification in Family Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, continuously held since 2008, and more than 10 years of Super Lawyers recognition. Awesome Attorneys did not identify a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating or Best Lawyers recognition for this attorney in the course of research and is noting that absence directly rather than implying credentials not documented in available sources.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Andrae’s collaborative divorce practice operates under Texas’s Collaborative Family Law Act, which requires both spouses and their attorneys to sign a participation agreement committing to resolve the divorce without court intervention — and, notably, requires both attorneys to withdraw from representation if the collaborative process breaks down and the matter proceeds to litigation, which creates a strong incentive for all parties to negotiate in good faith. CPS-related terminations of parental rights, another area the firm handles, proceed under Texas Family Code Chapter 161 and require the state to prove by clear and convincing evidence — a higher standard than the “preponderance of the evidence” used in most civil matters — that termination is in the child’s best interest. None of this is legal advice; a specific collaborative divorce or CPS matter should be evaluated by a licensed Texas attorney based on the actual facts involved.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

The clearest, most specific differentiator here is Andrae’s unusual professional path — six years as a private investigator before law school, then 17 continuous years of TBLS board certification, backed by genuine institutional involvement (Austin Bar Family Law Section Board service, decade-plus collaborative divorce group membership) rather than just a list of badges. The honest trade-off, reflected in the firm’s own most detailed public review, is that no attorney or firm is without its rough edges — a mature, balanced acknowledgment worth taking at face value rather than either dismissing or over-weighting. Awesome Attorneys also notes the absence of Martindale-Hubbell or Best Lawyers recognition for this attorney, which several other firms in this directory’s Family Law category do hold. For a client who values both litigation readiness and genuine mediation training — particularly for a collaborative or amicable divorce involving complex assets — that combination is a reasonable basis for a shortlist.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from Andrae Law, PLLC’s official website (andraelaw.com), Amanda Andrae’s Avvo attorney and endorsement pages, her professional biography via She Spies Private Eye’s attorney directory (documenting her PI background), and the Texas Board of Legal Specialization’s public certification standards. Client quotes are reproduced from publicly posted, attributed reviews.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Amanda Andrae or Andrae Law, PLLC prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placement products to attorneys and firms, including this one, but sponsorship has no bearing on the editorial content, inclusion, or findings of this profile.