Valparaiso Lawyers

James E. "Jef" Fifer is the founding attorney of Fifer Law Office and has experience in a wide variety of legal areas. Jef primarily concentrates his practice now in the area of criminal defense. He was also the Town Attorney for the towns of Georgetown from 1992 to 2004 and Greenville from 1994 to 2004.

Jef received his Bachelor of Science in Business from Indiana University in 1982 and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Louisville in 1986. Jef is admitted to practice law both in Indiana and Kentucky.

He is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association, Floyd...

S. Adam Long is a native of Boonville, Indiana. Adam graduated from the University of Southern Indiana in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and received his J.D. in 2006 after attending St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami, Florida and Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis. Adam was admitted to the Indiana bar in 2006 and has also been admitted practice before the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Indiana. In 2012, Adam became a Certified Family Law Mediator. Adam is the County Attorney for Warrick County, Indiana and shares the attorney...

Belinda J. Kunczt was born in California, at Beale Air Force Base in 1971, and grew up in northern Indiana. She attended University of Miami, Florida and Ball State University where she played basketball receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Administration/Criminal Justice in 1995 from Ball State.

Her history with the firm is extensive. She started working at Montross Miller Muller Mendelson & Kennedy LLP in 1996 as a paralegal. She found helping patients injured by substandard medical care to be very rewarding. So rewarding, in fact, that she made the decision to go to law school. While in...

Chris gained vast experience in consumer law, debt and creditor resolution, landlord-tenant issues, as well as family law and civil litigation while working as an attorney in the Indianapolis area the past 15 years. Raised in Plymouth, Indiana, Chris obtained a Psychology degree from DePauw University, where he played college baseball and met his wife, Jennifer. They have two children, a daughter, and son, and love taking trips as a family to Disney, Universal Studios and Ft. Myers Beach. Chris graduated from Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis in 2001. At Hostetter & O’Hara, Chris focused on...

Attorney Mary Beth Mock has been practicing law and serving clients in Madison, Indiana for many years. If you need help with a serious Family Law issue, contact Attorney Mary Beth Mock for a consultation today!

Nathan Miller, an Indianapolis native, graduated from Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in 1994. He received his B.A. degree from Stetson University, DeLand, Florida in 1998 and his J.D. degree from Ohio Northern University Law School in 2002.

Nate serves clients with needs in the areas of complex medical malpractice, personal injury litigation, product liability and wrongful death.

Mr. Miller is a member of the Indianapolis Bar Association, Indiana State Bar Association, Indiana Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association of Justice.

Ben Bailey works with businesses and individuals in all stages of real estate transactions such as the purchase, sale, financing, and leasing of commercial, industrial, rental, and residential property. He provides counsel to landowners and prospective landowners on environmental diligence, environmental risk assessment, and risk mitigation. Ben also assists with economic development efforts by helping clients with securing local and state funding. Prior to joining the firm, he completed a one-year clerkship with Justice Derek R. Molter of the Indiana Supreme Court.

W. Scott Montross, born Milwaukee, Wisconsin, April 16, 1947, attended the University of Michigan on a full basketball scholarship, receiving his B.B.A. in 1969. Mr. Montross attended Indiana University and was awarded his J.D. degree in 1971.; also admitted to practice before U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; U.S. District Courts, Southern District of Indiana, Southern District of Ohio and Southern District of Wisconsin.

Scott’s practice includes serious personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, products liability and aviation law.

He is a frequent lecturer and contributor on trial practice, as well as handling several landmark decisions before the Indiana Supreme and Appellate...

Gary is the Chair of the firm's Labor and Employment Practice Group. He advises clients in all areas of employment and labor law. Gary's strengths are his responsiveness and his ability to communicate complex subjects in a straightforward and understandable way.

Gary represents a wide range of clients, including steel manufacturers, automotive suppliers, health-care providers, municipalities, print shops, agribusiness, construction companies, and food producers. He has represented and advised clients in over twenty U.S. states and Canada. Although Gary’s primary expertise is employment and labor law, many clients seek Gary’s advice on a wide range of legal issues because...

Matt Chapel is a Trial Lawyer based out of Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is a National Institute for Trial Advocacy Master Advocate and studied under Gerry Spence. Practicing criminal defense in Fort Wayne, Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio, Matt brings 23 years of experience to every case. Matt is a former U.S. Marine. Why is this significant? Because Matt brings his fighting spirit to every case - including yours.

Gregory L. Fumarolo graduated from Indiana University School of Business in 1975 and Indiana University School of Law (Indianapolis) in 1978. His legal career began in 1978 as an Allen Superior Court Law Clerk. Fumarolo was Chief Deputy Prosecutor of Allen County from 1983 to 1986, but the vast majority of his career has been in the criminal defense arena either via private practice or as a public defender, primarily in Allen County.

His practice has included death penalty litigation, appellate practice, trial practice and as court appointed lawyer in CHINS and TPR cases. Mr. Fumarolo’s career as a public defender...

A partner at Barrett McNagny, Phil focuses his practice on business transactions, business succession planning, federal and state taxation, estate planning, probate matters, and estate administration. Phil also advises business owners regarding the choice of entity issues, valuation issues, buy-sell agreements, and business succession issues.

Maria works with the family and domestic law team assisting clients with dissolutions, adoptions and guardianships. The team also is experienced at handling custody and child support issues, paternity issues and acting in the role of a guardian ad litem.

Jake Gattuso focuses his practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, and real estate law. He has experience working with businesses of various sizes, and represents clients in the initial formation stages, and provides day-to-day operational counsel such as providing assistance with respect to the negotiation and drafting of third-party contracts, internal governance matters. Similarly, he represents clients in the growth or fundraising stages, by providing guidance for private placements, Regulation D securities offerings, and similar matters involving state “blue-sky” laws and federal securities laws compliance. Further, Jake assists clients buying and selling businesses of various sizes. Additionally, Jake represents...

Connor Fleck concentrates his practice in the area of intellectual property where he assists clients with filing for patents, securing trademarks and helping to register and enforce copyrights. While obtaining his undergraduate degree Connor worked as a Design Engineer for a manufacture of cast aluminum automotive parts in Ohio and was a mechanical engineering intern at Steel Dynamics, Inc.

Lewis Ostermeyer is part of our business transactions team assisting with drafting and reviewing of contracts, regulatory compliance, and due diligence. He also supports business clients with general corporate matters, including advising on business structure and entity formation. Prior to joining the firm, Lewis spent two years as a Legislative Assistant for the Indiana House of Representatives, where he worked alongside three state legislators and staffed the Courts and Criminal Code Committee and other criminal justice committees and councils. He also has worked in the Allen County Voter Registration Office and in the office of the Allen County Board of Commissioners.

Gurleen Kahlon concentrates her practice in the areas of commercial litigation and general liability defense. Specifically, she provides litigation services related to disputes concerning contracts, real estate, insurance defense matters, and premises liability. Prior to joining the firm, Gurleen practiced in Washington D.C. at a litigation firm where she focused her practice primarily in the areas of insurance coverage and bankruptcy disputes involving commercial liability, products liability, and complex torts. She assisted in representing major insurance companies in complex litigation in federal and state courts across the country.

John Frandsen works with our transaction group which serves business clients of all sizes from sole proprietorships to Fortune 500 companies. The group provides assistance with entity selection for new businesses, the drafting of operating agreements, bylaws and shareholder agreements, and the sale and purchase of businesses, including the due diligence process and the enforceability of non-competition agreements in connection with the sale of a business.

Brian focuses his practice in the areas of wills and trusts, the avoidance or reduction of estate, inheritance, and generation-skipping taxes. He also consults business owners regarding the choice of entity issues, valuation issues, buy-sell agreements, and business succession issues. A Fort Wayne native, Brian practiced for over twenty years assisting estate planning clients in the State of Florida prior to joining Barrett McNagny. Brian is licensed to practice law in the states of Indiana, Florida, and Arizona (inactive).

Caleb Peery is a member of the litigation team where he handles matters involving insurance defense, commercial litigation premises liability, products liability, collections, and contract disputes. He has experience with the court system, as he spent time following law school clerking for the Honorable Jennifer DeGroote and the Honorable Andrew Williams in Allen County Superior Court. During law school, he was a judicial intern for the Honorable Rossie Alston at the Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse in Alexandria, VA and for the Honorable Daniel Ortiz in Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, VA.

Brandon focuses his practice in the area of real estate and land use law where he assists clients with the purchase and sale of real estate, commercial and residential leasing, development agreements, land use planning, and zoning. Prior to joining the firm, Brandon worked for the City of Fort Wayne where he practiced in the areas of utility, regulatory and municipal law. He has experience with the negotiation, review and/or preparation of contracts for real estate acquisitions, drafting and enforcing local ordinances and compliance with state regulatory requirements.

Kinas Law Office LLC and Mary Kinas provide timely service to employees and victims of work-related harassment and discrimination based on over 11 years of experience owning my own firm. Examples of recent matters handled: * review of employment contracts and severance agreements, with answers usually in 48 hours; * mediation of a pregnancy discrimination action with an award to my client; * unemployment compensation appeal hearing with a finding for my client; * race discrimination settlement involving dismissal from job in union shop Any contact with the law firm will be personally handled exclusively by Ms. Kinas.

Patrick K. Brown is an Attorney-Mediator/ Arbitrator in private practice in Zionsville, Indiana. He is a co-founder of The Resolution Center, LLC., a holistic provider of innovative mediation/arbitration services in disputes between parties who will continue in relationship post-dispute resolution. He is a past Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Indiana State Bar Association. He is a member of the Indiana ADR Rules Review Task Force. He is a Founding Board Member and Past President of the Indiana Association of Mediators. His practice is focused in the area of divorce and family mediation and he has...

Results-focused immigration attorney committed to excellence.

Barrows Legal Group, LLC tailors its services to the client depending on the client's goals, financial concerns, complexity and amount of conflict involved. The goal of Barrows Legal Group, LLC for each client is to end the legal representation with the client in a better position than when we were retained. That goal is achieved through creative thinking, advocacy when called for, and negotiated resolution when possible. Just like every marriage is different, every divorce, paternity matter, or custody dispute is unique. The solutions to the conflict should reflect that each client's needs are also unique.

I am a partner at Barrow Brown Carrington, PLLC, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. I am certified in family law by the Family Law Certification Board of the Indiana State Bar Association. My practice covers a broad spectrum of family-related legal issues, such as Divorce, Custody, Adoption, Guardianship, and Appellate matters. I also assist clients in protecting their business interests and investments before and after a divorce. I offer collaborative divorce options alongside traditional family law services and am an active member of the Central Indiana Association of Collaborative Professionals (CIACP). With 20 years of courtroom experience, I am well-equipped to handle...

I am a Hoosier, born and raised- most of my childhood was spent in Moonsville, Indiana on my Grandparent's and Great Grandparent's farm. I graduated from Anderson High School with an Academic Honors Diploma before attending Ball State University. I graduated from the Political Science Department's Legal Studies Program at Ball State University and was accepted to Thomas M. Cooley School of Law where I was awarded a Scholarship for Academic Performance. At Cooley I was a member of the U.S. Championship team for Client Counseling and Graduated Cum Laude with a specialization in Litigation in January of...

Craig Fugate is the managing partner and co-founder of the firm. Craig is a business, franchise and real estate attorney licensed to practice law in Indiana and Wisconsin. His practice focuses primarily on assisting franchisees with reviewing FDDs, franchise agreements and real estate agreementes, both leases and purcahse agreements. Craig was admitted to the bar in 2008. Since 2008, Craig has worked in and with small and medium sized companies as well as Fortune 500 companies. Craig also provides general counsel services to his clients, represents new and existing franchisees in franchise purchases and...

Results-oriented, 24/7 communication and availability

John F. Townsend, III has exclusively represented individuals involved in accidents and the families of people killed due to the negligence of other people or corporations since 1996. John has taken numerous cases through jury trials and appeals. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover money on your behalf either through settlement or trial. Townsend & Townsend, LLP was founded in 1941 by John F. Townsend, Sr. and Earl C. Townsend, Jr.. Since then, three generations of Townsend attorneys have represented thousands of people in personal injury and wrongful death cases.

After years of working at law firms ranging in size from three attorneys to over 150 attorneys, Kirk provides big city service with small town personability. He strives to advise his clients in the most cost effective and efficient ways. Kirk likes to think creatively and look for not so typical, but practical, solutions. Not one to hide behind his desk, he likes to get out there and get things done.

- Admitted to practice law in Indiana and the U.S. District Court of the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana since 2001.
- Indiana Super Lawyers Rising Star lists in 2011,...

Michelle Smith Scott practices employment law in Indiana. She focuses on EEOC and federal employment discrimination claims. Michelle has a goal of providing legal advice that allows clients to obtain the best results and resolve their disputes in the most efficient manner. Michelle has helped individual clients and businesses and is often able to settle cases at the early stages of litigation to save the parties time, energy and expense.