10 Best Criminal Defense Attorneys in Indiana

This guide covers 10 Indiana criminal defense law firms serving clients in Indianapolis, Hamilton County, Johnson County, Fort Wayne, Evansville, Northwest Indiana, Bloomington and South Bend. Each firm was evaluated on four things: the professional background of its lead attorneys (including time as prosecutors, public defenders, or federal agents), how much of its practice is dedicated to criminal defense versus general practice, the Indiana counties and federal districts where it regularly appears, and practical access such as 24/7 availability and free consultations.

When comparing options, three questions matter most. Does the attorney regularly appear in the county court where your case will be heard? Has anyone on the team worked on the other side, as a deputy prosecutor or investigator, so they know how the State builds an OWI, drug, or violent-crime case? And does the firm also handle the parallel matters that come with a criminal charge, such as license suspensions, specialized driving privileges, and expungement? This list is not ranked and is not sponsored. Firm details come from each firm’s own website, checked against public listings on Martindale-Hubbell, FindLaw, Yelp, and social profiles.

1. The Criminal Defense Team (Baldwin, Perry & Wiley, PC)

• Attorney/Key Figure: Andrew J. Baldwin, Founding Partner; Kathie A. Perry, Managing Partner; Maxwell B. Wiley, Partner
• Headquarters: 150 N. Main St., Franklin, IN 46131 (additional offices in Noblesville at 23 S. 8th St., Suite 50, and in Indianapolis)
• Phone: (317) 565-2221
• Website: criminaldefenseteam.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal defense exclusively, including murder, homicide and manslaughter, sex crimes, drug crimes, DUI, federal crimes, gun crimes, domestic battery, burglary, robbery, theft, white collar crimes, probation violations, specialized driving privileges
• Firm Size: Mid-size criminal defense firm with three offices; the firm cites over 110 years of combined attorney experience

About The First: The Criminal Defense Team was founded in 2007 in Franklin and now works from three offices: Franklin, Noblesville, and Indianapolis. Its three named partners, Andrew Baldwin, Kathie Perry, and Max Wiley, are each board-certified criminal trial specialists, and the firm states that five of the six specialists certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in Indiana practice with its team. Perry spent nearly 15 years litigating against Marion County prosecutors before joining the firm, and Wiley has worked as both a defense attorney and a prosecutor on high-profile cases and has tried many jury trials in Hamilton County.

What sets the firm apart is its team trial model. The firm assigns two of its lawyers to every trial, and attorneys from different offices are paired on cases throughout the year, with all lawyers able to weigh in on strategy. It employs an in-house transcriptionist for depositions and recorded statements, and it was featured on CBS’s “48 Hours” for its defense in State of Indiana v. Alison Davis.

2. Blankenship Law, LLC

• Attorney/Key Figure: Eric Blankenship, Founder and Managing Attorney
• Headquarters: 11405 N. Pennsylvania St., Suite 115, Carmel, IN 46032 (additional office near Valparaiso, IN)
• Phone: (317) 669-9010
• Website: ericblankenshiplaw.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal defense, DUI/OWI, drug crimes, violent crimes, sex crimes, domestic violence, theft, robbery, burglary, homicide, fraud, gun crimes, white collar crimes, expungements, college student defense, probation violations, reckless driving
• Firm Size: Boutique criminal defense firm with three attorneys listed at the Carmel office; nearly 50 years of combined experience
• Social Profiles: Facebook

About The First: Eric Blankenship founded Blankenship Law after seventeen years as a prosecutor, and that experience shapes how the firm approaches every case. The attorneys at the firm have prosecutorial backgrounds, so they know how charging decisions get made, how police reports are assembled, and where a State’s case tends to be thinnest. The practice is criminal defense only, with offices in Carmel for Hamilton County and the greater Indianapolis area and near Valparaiso for Northwest Indiana.

The firm reports concrete results in serious felony cases. In a LaPorte County robbery case charged as a Level 5 felony, a deposition of the alleged victim exposed fabricated details in the police report and the State dismissed the charge. In another LaPorte County matter, a Level 4 felony charge for unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, the State could not show possession and dismissed all charges. Blankenship Law also handles OWI cases involving controlled substances and prescription medication, and offers 24/7 phone access for new clients.

3. Banks & Brower, LLC

• Attorney/Key Figure: Brad Banks and Adam Brower, Founding Attorneys
• Headquarters: 8710 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46260
• Phone: (317) 870-0019
• Website: banksbrower.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal defense, DUI/OWI, drug crimes, domestic violence, sex crimes, violent crimes, robbery and burglary, expungement, probation violations; also immigration, family law, and personal injury
• Firm Size: Mid-size firm with more than ten attorneys; over 80 years of combined experience

About The First: Banks & Brower was founded in 2012 by two former Indiana prosecutors. Brad Banks served as a deputy prosecutor in Indianapolis and Noblesville, including time as a homicide prosecutor and division chief. Adam Brower, an Indiana Super Lawyer, was a Marion County deputy prosecutor and has tried more than 150 criminal cases to completion.

The firm publishes a detailed record of results, including not guilty verdicts after jury trials on homicide, dealing, and firearm charges, and dismissals after evidence was suppressed. Because it is a larger firm with an active immigration practice, it can also address the immigration consequences of a criminal charge, though criminal defense is one of several practice areas rather than its only focus. Banks & Brower represents clients well beyond Indianapolis, with dedicated pages for Hamilton, Johnson, Hendricks, Boone, and Shelby Counties, Lafayette, Bloomington, and Muncie, and offers 24/7 availability and free consultations.

4. Keffer Hirschauer LLP

• Attorney/Key Figure: Bradley Keffer and Tom Hirschauer III, Founders
• Headquarters: 230 E. Ohio St., Suite 400, Indianapolis, IN 46204
• Phone: (317) 648-9560
• Website: indyjustice.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal defense, OWI, drug offenses, gun crimes, expungement, specialized driving privileges, Title IX defense, gun rights restoration; also family law, civil rights, and personal injury
• Firm Size: Boutique firm, founded 2012 by former deputy prosecutors

About The First: Keffer Hirschauer was formed in 2012 by a group of deputy prosecutors, led by Bradley Keffer and Tom Hirschauer III. Keffer began his career as a deputy prosecutor in both Marion County and Tippecanoe County, where he led the Fatal Alcohol Crash Team responsible for prosecuting OWI cases involving death or serious injury.

The firm’s distinguishing credential is in OWI defense: it says it is the only Indiana firm with two former Fatal Alcohol Crash Team prosecutors now defending drunk driving cases. That background carries over to serious OWI and felony matters, and the firm also handles specialized driving privileges for clients with suspended licenses. Alongside criminal work, the firm runs family law and civil rights practices, so attorneys spread their time across more than one practice area.

5. Coots, Henke & Wheeler, P.C.

• Attorney/Key Figure: Jim Crum, Attorney (Criminal Defense); firm founded by Dave Coots and Steve Henke
• Headquarters: 255 E. Carmel Dr., Carmel, IN 46032
• Phone: (317) 708-4819
• Website: chwlaw.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal defense (OWI/DUI, drug possession, domestic battery, burglary, drug dealing, sex offenses, expungement), family law, personal injury, estate planning, business law, real estate
• Firm Size: Full-service mid-size firm operating since 1978

About The First: Coots, Henke & Wheeler opened in Carmel in 1978 and has built a long local record in Hamilton County. Jim Crum leads its criminal defense work and handles felony and misdemeanor cases, from drunk driving and drug possession to domestic battery, drug dealing, burglary, and sex offenses. He also advises clients on Indiana’s Second Chance expungement law.

The firm’s breadth is its main advantage. A client facing charges that spill into a divorce, an injury claim, or a business issue can get advice from attorneys in the same office who already know the case. It is a full-service firm, so criminal defense sits alongside family, estate, and business practices, and clients get consultations at the Carmel office, by phone, or by video.

6. Arnold Terrill Ridenour, P.C.

• Attorney/Key Figure: Bart Arnold, Jeff Terrill, Gregory Ridenour, and Sean Arata, Attorneys
• Headquarters: 127 W. Berry St., Suite 1000, Fort Wayne, IN 46802
• Phone: (888) 912-7220
• Website: fortwaynedefense.com
• Practice Areas: OWI/DUI, drug crimes, assault and battery, domestic violence, felony crimes, federal crimes, juvenile crimes, sex crimes, white collar crimes, traffic violations, expungement, restoration of gun rights
• Firm Size: Small firm of four attorneys with over 75 years of combined experience

About The First: Arnold Terrill Ridenour is a Fort Wayne firm focused on criminal defense in the Allen County courts. Its four attorneys have defended clients ranging from college students and truck drivers to physicians, lawyers, and business owners. Sean Arata spent seven years as an Allen County public defender, handling felony drug cases, murders, and misdemeanors, and has focused his career on criminal defense.

The firm covers a wide menu of charges with dedicated pages for OWI variations, from first offense to felony OWI and OWI causing death, along with federal crimes and license reinstatement. It is available 24/7 and offers free consultations. As a four-attorney firm centered on Allen County, its home turf is Fort Wayne, so clients charged in distant parts of the state may want to ask how it staffs cases outside its usual courts.

7. Law Office of Jerry L. Garner

• Attorney/Key Figure: Jerry L. Garner, Attorney and retired FBI Special Agent
• Headquarters: 223 Main St., Rockport, IN 47635 (satellite office at 123 NW 4th St., Suite 521, Evansville, IN 47708)
• Phone: (812) 301-6221
• Website: jerrylgarnerlaw.com
• Practice Areas: Drug possession and dealing, OWI/DUI, weapon charges, murder, assault, domestic abuse, sex crimes, white collar crimes, theft, misdemeanors, federal criminal defense
• Firm Size: Solo practitioner with over 36 years of combined experience as a lawyer and FBI agent

About The First: Jerry Garner is a criminal defense attorney serving Evansville, Vanderburgh County, and southwestern Indiana communities such as Rockport, Newburgh, Boonville, and Tell City. Before practicing law full time, he served 23 years as an FBI Special Agent, which gives him first-hand knowledge of how investigators gather evidence and how prosecutors build cases. He is licensed in Indiana state courts and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, so he handles both state and federal charges.

Garner’s published results include dismissals in murder, rape, methamphetamine dealing, and firearm cases across Spencer, Perry, and Vanderburgh County courts. He is a solo practitioner who says he limits his caseload and selects serious, complicated matters, so clients work directly with him rather than an associate, though that also means he does not take every case he is offered. He offers financing options and takes calls, texts, and emails around the clock.

8. Stracci Law Group

• Attorney/Key Figure: Paul G. Stracci, Lead Attorney
• Headquarters: 11890 Broadway, Crown Point, IN 46307
• Phone: (219) 525-1000
• Website: straccilaw.com
• Practice Areas: OWI/DUI, drug crimes, violent crimes, sex crimes, gun crimes, white collar crimes, federal crimes, expungement, probation violations, juvenile crimes, firearms rights restoration; also personal injury
• Firm Size: Mid-size firm with seven attorneys and over 80 years of combined criminal law experience

About The First: Stracci Law Group is the Northwest Indiana firm on this list, handling state and federal cases in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton, and Jasper Counties. Paul Stracci leads the team and reports winning a complete acquittal in a murder case only ten months out of law school. The bench includes J. Michael Woods, a deputy prosecuting attorney for nearly ten years, Maryam Afshar-Stewart, a former prosecutor, and Michael R. Stewart, a former prosecutor and police captain.

The firm pairs a broad state docket with federal defense work, including firearms trafficking, healthcare fraud, and federal sentencing, which matters in a region where federal agencies focus heavily on gun cases. It also runs a personal injury practice, so its lawyers divide their attention between criminal and civil work. The firm reports being voted the top criminal defense firm in a regional readers’ poll run by The Times Media Company.

9. Foster, O’Daniel, Hambidge & Lynch

• Attorney/Key Figure: Mark Foster, Partner (DUI and criminal defense); Shaunda Lynch, Attorney (criminal and DUI defense)
• Headquarters: 3820 Oak Hill Rd., Evansville, IN 47711
• Phone: (812) 424-8101
• Website: fohlaw.com
• Practice Areas: DUI/OWI, criminal defense (misdemeanors, felonies, drug crimes, theft), expungement, specialized driving privileges; also family law, estate planning, business law, and personal injury
• Firm Size: Small full-service firm with four attorneys; offering criminal defense in Evansville since 2000

About The First: Foster, O’Daniel, Hambidge & Lynch is an Evansville firm whose criminal work is led by Mark Foster and Shaunda Lynch. Foster focuses mainly on DUI and criminal defense and has lectured extensively for the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum. Lynch is a former prosecutor in Vanderburgh and Perry Counties, licensed in both Indiana and North Carolina, and concentrates on criminal defense with an emphasis on DUI cases. Conor O’Daniel also practices criminal law alongside family law and estates.

The firm handles both state and federal cases and has dedicated pages for OWI, misdemeanors and felonies, and expungement with specialized driving privileges, which covers the license issues that follow many arrests. Because it is a full-service firm with attorneys who also practice family, estate, business, and injury law, only part of the team works on criminal matters day to day, but clients get a small office where they can meet a partner directly and free case consultations.

10. Stipp Law, LLC

• Attorney/Key Figure: Thomas Sean Stipp, Managing Member
• Headquarters: 1717 South Bend Ave., South Bend, IN 46637
• Phone: (574) 213-7475
• Website: stipp-law.com
• Practice Areas: Criminal defense (felonies, misdemeanors, DUI, expungement), family law, personal injury, estate planning
• Firm Size: Full-service small firm, founded 2015

About The First: Stipp Law was founded in 2015 and serves South Bend, St. Joseph County, and greater Northern Indiana. Its criminal defense team takes cases from misdemeanors to felonies, including DUI and expungements, and builds a strategy around the specific facts of each charge rather than a template plea approach.

The firm is a full-service practice, so a criminal client can also get help with related family law or injury matters under one roof. Criminal defense is one of four practice areas alongside family law, personal injury, and estate planning, which makes it a fit for clients who value a general-practice relationship, and attorneys such as Brandon Niezgodski work across those areas.

Indiana Criminal Defense Resources

Navigating the criminal justice system requires reliable legal information, representation, and procedural guidance. Key resources available to individuals facing criminal charges in Indiana include:

• Indiana Public Defender Council (IPDC): Provides training, support, and legal resources to public defenders across Indiana to ensure robust representation for indigent defendants.
• Public Defender Commission & Local Public Defender Offices: Coordinates court-appointed legal representation at the county level for individuals who cannot afford private defense attorneys.
• Indiana Federal Community Defenders: Offers sentencing mitigation resources, guidelines for character support letters, and representation for individuals facing federal charges.
• Indiana Courts Self-Help Center: Hosted via Indiana Legal Help, offering procedural guidance, court directory information, and official court forms.
• Indiana Expungement Resources: Local legal aid organizations, including the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, assist qualifying individuals with record expungement to clear past convictions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are crimes classified in Indiana, and what penalties can I face?

Indiana divides misdemeanors into Classes A, B, and C and felonies into Levels 1 through 6. A Class A misdemeanor carries up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000, a Class B up to 180 days and $1,000, and a Class C up to 60 days and $500. Felony sentences range from 6 months to 2.5 years for a Level 6 felony to 20 to 40 years for a Level 1 felony, with fines up to $10,000. Because a single arrest can produce charges at several levels, firms such as Stracci Law Group in Crown Point and Blankenship Law in Carmel review each count separately when building a defense.

Is a DUI in Indiana the same as an OWI?

Indiana law uses the term operating while intoxicated (OWI), though people still say DUI. The license consequences of an arrest can move faster than the criminal case itself, so early action matters. Depending on the situation, a court may grant specialized driving privileges that allow limited driving for work or school. Keffer Hirschauer in Indianapolis is led by two former Fatal Alcohol Crash Team prosecutors, and Arnold Terrill Ridenour in Fort Wayne has dedicated pages for first-offense, felony, and refusal cases.

Can I clear an Indiana criminal record?

In many cases, yes. Indiana’s Second Chance expungement law allows people to seal arrests, charges, and convictions from public view when they meet the statutory requirements, and the process can help with jobs, education, and housing. Banks & Brower in Indianapolis, Arnold Terrill Ridenour in Fort Wayne, and Blankenship Law in Carmel all list expungement among their services, and Stipp Law in South Bend takes expungement cases alongside felony and misdemeanor defense.

How long can someone be held after a domestic violence arrest in Indiana?

Under Indiana Code 35-33-1-1.7, a person arrested for a domestic violence offense cannot be released on bail until at least 24 hours after the arrest. The holding period was previously eight hours before a 2023 law tripled it. Because the hold delays the earliest chance to argue for release, attorneys such as domestic violence practice at Banks & Brower in Indianapolis are set up to take calls right after an arrest, before the first hearing.

Should I hire a solo attorney, a boutique firm, or a larger team?

It depends on the case. A solo practitioner such as Jerry Garner in Rockport and Evansville offers direct access to the person handling your case and, in his case, a former FBI agent’s view of how investigations are built. A larger criminal defense team such as The Criminal Defense Team in Franklin, Noblesville, and Indianapolis assigns two lawyers to every trial and shares strategy across offices, which can help in complex felony or homicide cases. A full-service firm such as Coots, Henke & Wheeler in Carmel makes sense when a criminal charge overlaps with family, business, or injury issues.

What is the difference between state and federal criminal charges in Indiana?

State crimes are prosecuted by the county prosecuting attorney’s office, while federal crimes are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in federal court. Federal cases are often built with significant investigative resources, and they follow different procedures and sentencing rules. If federal charges are possible, look for an attorney admitted to the relevant federal district. Jerry Garner is licensed in the Southern District of Indiana and handles federal defense in Evansville, Arnold Terrill Ridenour publishes a dedicated federal crimes practice in Fort Wayne, and Stracci Law Group handles federal drug, firearm, and white collar cases in Northwest Indiana.

Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or an attorney referral. It is not a ranked or sponsored list, and inclusion does not imply an endorsement by, or affiliation with, any named firm beyond what is stated. Attorney credentials, case results, and contact details change over time; confirm current information directly with each firm before making a hiring decision. Past results described here do not guarantee similar outcomes in any other case.