James R. Williams

Jim is a certified Mediator, Arbitrator, and is registered as private judge by the Indiana Division of State Court Administration. He has served as a mediator and arbitrator in over 2,400 family and civil cases throughout the Midwest, many with multi-million-dollar damage claims or marital estates. He represents a wide range of clients in transactional matters as well as in trial and appellate litigation. He also represents numerous higher education institutions and individual and corporate agribusinesses.  Jim practiced law with White & Raub in Indianapolis from 1991 through 1994. He joined DeFur Voran in 1994. He served as judge of the Union County Circuit Court from 1998-2004, and served as a Senior Judge until 2008. Mr. Williams returned to DeFur Voran in January of 2005. He was recently appointed and serves as Counsel to the President of the Indiana State Bar Association.

Practice Areas

Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Agribusiness, Banking, Education and Government, Business, Estate Planning and Administration, Employment, Intellectual Property and Technology

Education

Wabash College (A.B., summa cum laude, 1988)
Indiana University Maurer School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1991)
Forrest E. Jump Memorial Scholarship
Moot Court Board

Bar Admissions

Indiana

Admitted to Practice Before

Indiana Supreme Court
United States District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Pro hac vice in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi

Cases

Representative appellate cases in which Mr. Williams has been involved either as Judge or Counsel include: Krueger v. Hogan, 780 N.E.2d 1199 (Ind. App. 2003); Beard v. Beard, 758 N.E.2d 1019 (Ind. App. 2001); Byrd v. E.B.B. Farms, 796 N.E.2d 747 (Ind. App. 2003); Boston v. GYN, Ltd., 785 N.E.2d 1187 (Ind. App. 2003); Liberty Country Club v. Country Club Estates, 950 N.E.2d 754 (Ind. App. 2011); Hartman v. Keri, 883 N.E.2d 774 (Ind. App. 2008) (appeared as amicus for Ball State University, Indiana University, Purdue University and Indiana State University); Rollins Burdick Hunter of Utah, Inc. v. Ball State University, 665 N.E.2d 914 (Ind. App. 1996); Zimmerman, et al. v. Ball State University, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54368, and  Irons v. Ball State University, 27 N.E. 3d 717 (Ind. 2015); Served as counsel to wrongful death victim in Indiana State Fair stage collapse case.

Articles and Seminars

Mr. Williams has served as a lecturer and contributing author for: “Judges in the Historical Arena,” Indiana Judicial Center; “Indiana’s Landlord-Tenant Law – A Survey,” ICLEF Seminar; “Conflicts of Interest and a Brief Survey of Other Ethical Considerations for Indiana Lawyers,” ICLEF Seminar; and has authored numerous articles on alternative dispute resolution. He is a frequent speaker at continuing education seminars on mediation, employment law, and litigation.  He is a contributing author to histories of the Indiana Supreme Court and the Indiana Court of Appeals.

Memberships

Civic Involvement