Richard A. Cook

Indianapolis trial attorney and civil litigation advocate

Richard Cook is committed to working with you to obtain the best possible resolution for your case. he stands ready to vigorously represent your interests in a prompt professional manner. He is committed to representing the interests of those who have been injured or wronged by acts of another person or corporation.

Previous experience

Law Clerk

After graduation from law school, Rich began working as a law clerk for the Honorable Andrew P. Rodovich, who served as a Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana in Hammond, Lake County Indiana. Rich had a chance to see some of the best civil and criminal trial attorneys in trial and deal with a broad and diverse range of legal issues, such as:

“A winner finds a way to succeed instead of a reason to fail.”

~ Richard A. Cook

Environmental litigation
Serious personal injury claims
Civil rights claims
Preliminary injunctions
Complex criminal pretrial motions

Prosecutor

Following his service as a law clerk, he worked as Deputy Prosecutor for the Lake County Prosecutor's Office for Jack Crawford. He tried a number of jury trials which encompassed crimes including:

Murder
Rape
Robbery

OWI causing death
Confinement
Capital murder

From there, he went on to serve the federal prosecutor as Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana in South Bend, Indiana Division. There he handled a number of complex criminal matters involving crimes such as:

Conspiracy
Counterfeiting
Mail fraud
Wire fraud

Illegal drug manufacturing
Racketeering
Murder for hire

He left the U.S. Attorney's office in 1989, and during the following 17 years has focused primarily on civil defense and plaintiff's work.

Areas of focus

Personal injury
Breach of contract
Defamation
Sexual harassment claims
Employment disputes
Construction related injury claims
Civil rights claims
Breach of contract relating to construction disputes

Wrongful death
Products liability
Burn injuries
Automobile accidents
Libel-slander
Environmental torts
Real estate disputes
Insurance coverage issues

Education

Purdue University, Krannert School of Business, B.S. in Economics Honors Program, 1979
Valparaiso University School of Law, graduated 15th in his class, 1982

Admissions

All Indiana courts
United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana
United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, Chicago, Illinois

Memberships

American Bar Association, Litigation Section

Honors and recognitions

Martindale-Hubbell AV Peer Review Rating
Commendation for work as a federal prosecutor from the United States Attorney General Dick Thornburg
Special Award from the Post Master General (for work prosecuting an elaborate altered postal money order scheme, operated within the Indiana State Prison system)

Rich Cook’s experience is invaluable in helping you develop your case's strengths, identify potential weaknesses, and avoid pitfalls. Having worked on both sides of a number of issues, he can assist you in avoiding mistakes which could hamper you from making a full and fair recovery as an injury victim.