Web Exclusive: Meet the Judges: Clinton Circuit Court Judge Brad Mohler

Clinton Circuit Court Judge Brad Mohler and his wife Keily. (Submitted photo)

From farm to courtroom, this rural county judge keeps a balance to forge his own path while being connected to his roots. 

Clinton Circuit Court Judge Brad Mohler received his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in agribusiness. He said law was one of his two plans when he was an undergrad. 

“I came from a farm family and I had always worked on the farm. So that was an option but at some point when I was at Purdue, I decided I wanted to go through law and give that a try. So I stayed in the agribusiness major but knew that I was going to be going to law school,” Mohler said. 

Mohler then went to Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and joined the state bar in 1997. 

He still helps on the family farm but wanted something that was his own path. 

“I just wanted to kind of have a different career something on my own, and had an interest in law and thought that would give me something I could stay in my community that I grew up in, and that would give me a chance to come back and be in the community and still then also be part of the farm,” Mohler said. 

Prior to joining the bench in 2013, Mohler did private practice for 15 years. He had a general practice that focused mainly on family law and criminal defense.  

Mohler is the latest Indiana trial judge to be featured in Indiana Lawyer’s Spotlight series profiling jurists in more rural counties. Here is what he had to say about life on and off the bench. 

What is something that surprised you about being a judge?

I think it’s the volume that comes through and that there’s never any breaks. There are always new cases, there are always new filings coming through, and the work just never stops. There’s never a down season. There’s never a break. It is just constant. And you know that. I knew that would be the case, but probably the volume of that has surprised me a little bit as far as how much comes through on a daily basis. We’ve got two courts in our county, so both of us are very busy. We handle a lot of cases. But it’s the volume that was kind of a surprise at some point.

What is something that you’ve learned about yourself since becoming a judge? 

(I) think I just realized how important patience on the bench and being a good listener is sometimes there are cases that we’ve heard a lot of the same things over and over. But for that particular person that’s in the courtroom, it’s very important to them because it’s their case. And so, I think it’s important to make sure you’re patient, you listen, you give everybody a chance to explain what’s important to them. And not just assume, or jump into a decision or an answer, but to be very patient with them.

Do you have a favorite memory of your time on the bench? 

It’s always nice to do some of the positive cases such as adoption, and some of those things that end up with a positive result. I also have a lot of classes come in and participate, whether they just come in and observe, or I host a lot of different classes where they’ll come in and do a mock trial. It’s always good to interact with them and nice to see when maybe some of the kids are excited or have good questions or showing interest in maybe this as a future career. I enjoy working with the kids and having them be involved in the process in stuff that’s not necessarily court cases, but kind of an education component that we can do for them.

What are some of your hobbies? 

I try to keep a balance. I try to have things outside work that I enjoy, and so I enjoy spending time with family, I enjoy exercising and running. I coached basketball at one of our local high schools. And I’ve done that for probably about 20 years. I enjoyed doing those things outside of the job. Right now, I’m working with our varsity and junior varsity girls’ basketball program. It’s nice to have some outlets like that where you’re doing things that are not related to your job.

If you were able to change something about the legal field, what would it be?

I think there are a number of cases that we see that the people involved maybe don’t care about the case as much as they should. They don’t maybe respect the court process as much as they used to, and they just don’t seem to put forth the effort that they need. The attorneys are working, the judges are working, and some of the other people that are in the court process are working. And sometimes the people that it’s their own case, just they don’t seem to care as much as maybe they should. And I’d like to see that you find a way to make them realize how important whatever it is we’re trying to do to help them is and get them to be a little more invested.