Elkhart County Business Lawyers

Dedicated trial advocacy starts with finding an attorney with your best interests in mind. Ralph E. Sipes, an attorney based in Anderson, Indiana, has been doing just that for more than 34 years. After clerking for the Indiana Supreme Court for the late Chief Justice Richard M. Givan, he earned the position of managing partner at Busby, Austin, Cooper, & Farr, and has practiced as a solo practitioner since 2008.

Offices are located on the Atrium level of the Union Building, 1106 Meridian Street, Suite 107, in Anderson, Indiana

Katherine Sheets is engaged in the general practice of law, with emphasis on civil litigation matters. Ms. Sheets graduated summa cum laude from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in May 2018 and also earned a Graduate Certificate in Advocacy Skills. During law school, Ms. Sheets was named to the Moot Court Society Order of the Barristers in the fall of 2016, served on the Moot Court Board as the Associate Justice for Scorekeeping, was an associate member of the Indiana International and Comparative Law Review, and advised first-year students through the Dean’s Tutorial Society. In addition,...

Katie focuses her practice on Insurance Defense, Insurance Coverage, and Estate Planning. She represents clients across the state of Indiana, both in state court and federal court. In her insurance defense practice, Katie has experience representing insureds in third party claims involving tort liability such as bodily injury and premises liability. In other cases, she represents insurance companies in first party claims brought by insureds. Katie also assists clients in developing a comprehensive estate plan, working closely with clients and their families. This includes drafting wills, trusts, guardianships, powers of attorney, healthcare powers of attorney, and living wills.

Prior to joining...

Morgan is a graduate of Carthage College, a liberal arts school in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where she received her BA in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration. She earned her law degree from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law while working full-time in the legal department of a local trucking company. After law school, Morgan gained valuable experience in both insurance defense and criminal defense before joining Harshman Ponist. Morgan specializes in business and commercial transactions, entity formation, LLCs, corporate law, and nonprofit organizations, with a focus on tax-exempt and 501(c)(3) organizations. Her background in an in-house legal...

Since 1992. Experienced Criminal Defense Attorney. Serving all of Indiana from Offices in Indianapolis. State and Federal Court cases. DUI, Traffic Tickets, Family Law, Immigration & Personal Injuries. Former Deputy Prosecutor and Public Defender. Bilingual, Fluent in Spanish.

I am dedicated to empowering individuals and businesses to protect their legal interests. My practice offers personalized legal solutions in various areas. I assist with guardianship arrangements for loved ones, support entrepreneurs in establishing and expanding their businesses, and create comprehensive estate plans through wills and trusts. I operate out of Vincennes, Indiana, and provide services across the state. Clients have the convenience of scheduling appointments online and can meet with me from the comfort of their own homes or offices. I frequently represent clients in the counties of Knox, Daviess, Sullivan, Greene, Pike, and Dubois. I am deeply passionate about helping...

Mark Hassler has been a litigator for his entire professional career, beginning in 1981. Mark has represented individuals and business entities in numerous Indiana Courts and in Federal Courts in Indiana, California and Texas. He has extensive jury trial experience, including many trials involving wrongful death, serious personal injury and medical malpractice. His litigation experience also includes business and insurance disputes, as well as disputes involving family trusts, wills and real estate. Mark is AV Preeminent* peer review-rated, the highest rating through Martindale-Hubbell. He, too, has been selected by his contemporaries to serve as President and Secretary of the...

I have practiced law for nearly 30 years. I graduated from the Indiana University School of Law Indianapolis in 1987. I am a general practice, family law, small business, bankruptcy, consumer law and criminal defense lawyer. I have served hundreds of clients. I pride myself on working closely with each of my clients on a personal level. I view the practice of law as problem-solving. My job as your attorney is to solve your problems and to reduce the stress of difficult legal situations. Clients speak directly with me and always meet only with me. I give my...

Mr. Coombs joined the law firm as a Law Associate in 2009 and became a junior partner in 2014. He practices in the areas of bankruptcy, general civil litigation, real estate, criminal law, and business law. Mr. Coombs received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 2006 in History from the University of Utah. He received his law degree in 2009 from the Indiana University School of Law–Indianapolis, Cum Laude. He has worked for the Pritzke & Davis law firm as a clerk.

Howard is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Indiana University in 1989. Howard graduated from Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis with a J.D. degree in 1993. Following law school, he received a prestigious offer to serve as a judicial law clerk on the Indiana Supreme Court. While at the Court from 1993- 1994, he worked for the Honorable Richard M. Givan wherein he analyzed and researched legal issues on appeal and drafted memoranda for published majority opinions. Howard is a founder and partner of Coleman Stevenson & Montel, LLP where he...

EDUCATION
Indiana Bar Admission – Admitted on October 16, 2017, Juris Doctorate, May 2016
Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis Indiana

Master of Business Administration, May 2012, Indiana Wesleyan University; Indianapolis, Indiana, Concentration in Accounting

Lean and Green Belt Certificate in Six Sigma, June 2011 Villanova University; Online

Bachelor of General Studies, December 2009 Ball State University; Muncie, Indiana
Minors: Biology and Chemistry

Dane Starbuck has a strong legal background in business formation, business operations, estate planning and probate, real estate, and family law. He is a graduate of Oxford University in Jurisprudence (B.A. 1987 and M.A. in 1993) and from the Georgetown University Law Center (J.D. 1990). Previously he served as a law clerk to William C. Lee, U.S. District Court Judge of the Northern District Court of Indiana. Dane has also served as a legislative assistant in Washington, D.C. to former U.S. Senator Dan Coats. From 1993 to 1999, Dane practiced law in his hometown of Winchester,...

Mr. Karnes was born in Norfolk, Virginia and he graduated from Tabernacle Baptist School, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Mr. Karnes received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Pre-law from Bob Jones University in 1996. He received his law degree from the Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis, magna cum laude in 2001. Mr. Karnes was a Note Development Editor on the Indiana Law Review and participated in National Moot Court Competition. He has also completed a 40 hour civil mediation training and received the Francis J. Feeney, Jr. Tax award.

Mr. Karnes’ professional memberships include the Muncie...

Mr. Lewis' legal practice focuses on representing Debtors in Chapter 7 bankruptcy and Chapter 13 bankruptcy proceedings in Central Indiana. Mr. Lewis is licensed to practice law in Indiana and Illinois.

Employment and business litigator in Indiana.

Cliff Whitehead is an associate with the firm who focuses his practice on Litigation in local and federal trial courts. He routinely advises clients in all phases of their businesses, including start-up, contract formation, and employer-employee relations, and in disputes involving commercial law (contracts, breach of fiduciary duty, business torts) and employment matters (discrimination, FMLA, harassment, ADA). Cliff also represents multiple government entities, including the City of Evansville and the Warrick County Council. In 2014, Cliff was recognized as an “Up and Coming Lawyer” by the Indiana Lawyer. Born in Evansville, Indiana, Cliff earned his B.A. in Political...

Cindy is the Managing Partner at McNeelyLaw where she focuses her practice in the areas of real estate and business transactions, corporate law, business litigation, and real estate litigation. Cindy helps businesses find practical solutions to real world problems, whether that is through drafting concise and precise documents to prevent future problems, negotiating resolutions to disputes before litigation, or litigating disputes in cost effective ways. Cindy honed her attention to detail through her work after law school as a law clerk for the Honorable Theodore R. Boehm, Associate Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, and the Honorable John Daniel Tinder, a United...

I founded Hankins Law after working in the Washington, D.C. area as an attorney for a well-respected, litigation-focused law firm. While in D.C., I handled complex proceedings, which often required the interpretation of complicated business and estate planning documents. During my practice, I consistently observed a need in the legal field for accessible attorneys offering individualized counsel and real-world options to resolve legal issues. Legal problems are unique, and solutions must be tailored to each specific issue. With this in mind, I founded Hankins Law. I can assure any prospective...

Steele Legal Group is a general practice law firm specializing in Family Law, Personal Injury cases and Civil Litigation. Owned and operated by attorney David J. Steele, the Steele Legal Group provides professional and aggressive legal representation for every client. For just under a decade I have guided my representation of clients based on three very simple concepts where I see other attorneys fail. First, every phone call gets returned, with neither exception nor fail. Second, your file will never sit idly on my desk collecting dust. Once retained by a client, I ensure that...

Attorney Jessica Pasztor is a founding member of Pasztor & Coe LLC. She graduated from Valparaiso University School of Law in 2011 with her Juris Doctorate, and then went to receive her Master of Laws degree in Taxation from the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2012. Attorney Pasztor is licensed to practice law in the states of Illinois and Indiana, in both the state and federal courts of each jurisdiction. As a Master in Taxation Attorney Pasztor is familiar with the rules and regulations of the United States Internal Revenue Code and...

Serving Indiana since 1978. Primary areas of practice include criminal defense, family law, administrative and municipal matters, real estate and all manner of trial litigation. Member of the Indiana State and United States Supreme Court Bar

Michael Lakes joined our Indianapolis office in July of 2024. Before that, he was employed with the Indiana Department of Child Services providing legal services to field staff to help promote compliance with Indiana law and child welfare. As soon as he graduated from law school, Michael joined a general practice firm in Martinsville, IN where he represented clients in criminal, civil, and family law. Mr. Lakes was raised in Connersville, IN. He now lives in Indianapolis with his wife, son, and daughter. EDUCATION Indiana University McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, IN Juris Doctor, 2021 Full Tuition Award Student Bar Association 1L Representative Student Bar...

Mr. French is a partner with the firm's Litigation Practice Group. Mr. French is a trial lawyer and certified mediator, who has represented clients in federal and state court lawsuits in many United States jurisdictions. Mr. French advises businesses and individuals of the strategies available to execute goals for resolution of disputes that require court intervention. Mr. French has represented clients in a wide variety of complex litigation matters, including class actions, intellectual property misappropriation, securities violations, commercial and business transactions, shareholder disputes, employee non-competes, real estate development disputes, and governmental enforcement proceedings.

Andrew J Thompson was licensed to practice in Indiana in 1990. He had previously passed the Uniform Certified Public Accounting examination in 1985, while working for KPMG Peat Marwick as a Tax Specialist. Mr. Thompson is an entrepreneur, long time estate planner, former trust officer, business owner, and experienced general practice attorney. The Thompson Law Office provides service to families and businesses with the goal of helping them achieve the best results in line with their goals. The practice is founded on a collaborative approach where the client always makes the decisions. Areas of practice...