Robert B. Clemens

Profile

Mr. Clemens is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (FACTL).  He is an advocate member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and past president of the Indiana Chapter of ABOTA.  Mr. Clemens also has been board certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocates (NBTA) since 1994, has been listed in Best Lawyers in America® since 2003, has been selected for inclusion in “Indiana Super Lawyers”® since the first edition and has been included among "Indiana's Leading Attorneys" in Indiana Business Magazine. 

Robert B. (“Bob”) Clemens' practice primarily involves jury trials in significant commercial litigation and catastrophic personal injury cases. A graduate of Notre Dame Law School, he undertook his legal education after a successful military career as an infantry officer. Mr. Clemens serves as Indiana Counsel to numerous insurers and transportation entities.

Honors / Awards

Mr. Clemens commanded three rifle platoons and a rifle company in combat with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam; his military decorations include the Bronze Star with “V” device, Second Oak Leaf Cluster (three awards); the Combat Infantryman’s Badge; the Parachutist’s Badge; and the Meritorious Service Medal, Second Oak Leaf Cluster (three awards).  Additional honors include the following:  Best Lawyers in America®; Indiana Super Lawyers®; 2010 Distinguished Barrister (Indiana Lawyer's Leadership in Law) and AV® Peer Review rated by Martindale-Hubbell for more than 20 years.

Representative Matters

• Mr. Clemens is a veteran of more than 50 jury trials tried to verdict -- eight involving deaths, four involving closed head injuries and alleged brain damage, and three involving quadriplegia. Other jury trials have involved allegations of bad faith against insurers and wrongful discharge claims against employers.
• Mr. Clemens has served as lead defense counsel in several jury trials in which juries have been asked to return seven and eight figure verdicts.  Bob rarely takes plaintiff’s cases, but his largest such verdict was $2.8M in a wrongful death case.
• Mr. Clemens has served as lead defense counsel in seven cases involving quadriplegic plaintiffs, four of which settled prior to trial, and three of which were tried to verdict.
• Mr. Clemens serves as a Certified Mediator, and has successfully resolved scores of cases, including several with seven and eight figure verdict potential.

Appointments / Memberships

Member: Indianapolis and Indiana State Bar Associations; National Lawyers Association; Defense Research Institute; Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana; National Institute for Trial Advocacy Advocates Association; International Defense Lawyers Association; Board of Visitors, Ave Maria Law School; Master Fellow, Indiana Bar Foundation