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Each year at its Annual Conference and Meeting of Membership, the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana honors members who have served the association, the bar or their communities in notable ways. That includes recognition via the annual Defense Lawyer of the Year, Diplomat of the Indiana Defense Trial Counsel and Outstanding Young Lawyer awards.
Defense Lawyer of the Year: Renee Mortimer
The Defense Lawyer of the Year Award is presented to an attorney who has promoted the interests of the Indiana defense bar since the last annual meeting of DTCI in a significant way in the fields of litigation, legislation, publication, or participation in local, state or national defense organizations.
Renee Mortimer is a former president of DTCI and is the managing partner of Lewis Brisbois’ Highland office, where she oversees the hiring and growth of its northwest Indiana office. In her role with the firm, she has hired multiple female attorneys in the past year and has cultivated a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion that provides opportunities for attorneys and staff.
Mortimer is an active member of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, DRI and the International Association of Defense Trial Counsel, and also serves as the current president of the Indiana chapter of The CLM. Among her additional honors and recognitions are the Indiana State Bar Association’s Defense Lawyer Civil Award, an Influential Woman of Northwestern Indiana in the category of Law, the DRI State Leadership Award and its Exceptional Performance Citation.
Diplomats of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana: Michele Bryant, Jim Strenski
This award is given to members of the Indiana bar who have distinguished themselves throughout their careers through outstanding contributions to the representation of clients in the defense of litigation matters and, therefore, have been designated recipients of the award Diplomat of the Indiana Defense Trial Counsel.
Michele Bryant, a partner in the Evansville office of Dinsmore & Shohl, has been a member of DTCI for her entire career. She led DTCI as president during trying times, but her leadership and practical approach kept DTCI a prominent and influential organization.
Bryant has been a leader in the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program, where she has donated countless hours helping other lawyers deal with substance abuse, aging, cognitive decline, depression and other stress-related issues. Deeply engaged in her community, she is a former president of her local Kiwanis Club and has spearheaded countless fundraisers for great causes. Professionally, Bryant has been recognized by her peers multiple times, including the ISBA Women in the Law Committee recognition and the Evansville Bar Association’s Doran E. Perdue Service Award.
Jim Strenski is an attorney in Paganelli Law Group, where he uses his 25-plus years of experience in jury trials, summary judgment hearings and arbitrations in serving his insurance company clients. Most recently, he received a directed defense verdict in a breach of contract/bad faith case in Lake County.
Strenski is active in the Indianapolis Bar Association, Georgetown University Alumni Association and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. He serves on the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Insurance Coverage Section Executive Committee and on the boards of Hoosier Burn Camp and Broad Ripple Haverford Little League.
Outstanding Young Lawyer: Evan Norris
This award is presented to a member of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana who is less than 35 years old and who has shown leadership qualities in service to the Indiana defense bar, the national defense bar or the community.
Evan Norris is a senior associate in the Carmel office of Drewry Simmons Vornehm. He concentrates his practice in the areas of construction litigation, premises liability and coverage actions. He also has considerable experience representing government officials in a wide variety of actions ranging from intentional torts to wrongful death claims.
The colleagues who nominated Norris cite his high rate of success at trial (“He performs as if he has been practicing 15 years instead of five years.”), his frequent presentations at CLE events and authorship of substantive law articles, and his dedicated service to DTCI and several national defense organizations in many leadership positions.
In his community, Norris serves on the Boone County Racial Diversity Coalition as both a board member and assistant secretary. He was recently appointed to the board of the White River Alliance on behalf of Drewry Simmons Vornehm.•
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