- Meet Arend
- Practice Areas
- Education & Awards
- Professional Memberships
- Representative Cases & Presentations
Arend Abel focuses his practice in business litigation and appellate law. His legal career includes work for former Indiana attorney general Pamela Carter, for whom he served as special counsel. In that role, Arend briefed and argued two cases on the merits before the United States Supreme Court. He has also briefed and argued numerous cases before the Indiana State Supreme Court and State and Federal Trial and Appellate Courts. Arend regularly works with business owners and companies ranging from sole proprietorships to sizeable corporations on contract disputes, partnership disputes, employment matters, and business breakups or wind-downs.
Arend regularly litigates partnership and non-compete disputes for our business litigation team. He reviews partnership contracts and represents the legal rights of business owners or departing partners. He also has considerable experience helping businesses deal with disputes arising when departing employees have violated non-compete agreements or a business’s new employees are alleged to have done so. Arend’s practice also includes employment law defense. He has represented clients in matters involving EEOC issues of gender, race, and age discrimination.
Arend is the firm’s General Counsel and advises attorneys on ethics and professional responsibility issues.
LANGUAGES
Spanish
PRACTICE AREAS
- Business Services, Real Estate & Business Litigation
- Appellate Law, Chair
- Internal business partnership and owner disputes
- Appeals
- Constitutional and Administrative Law
- Trade Secret and Confidentiality Disputes
- Noncompetition Agreement Disputes
- Commercial Products Liability and Warranty Claims
- Business Fraud and Business Tort Litigation
- Insurance Coverage Disputes
- Lender liability
- Employment Discrimination Defense
- Commercial Collections
INDUSTRY AREAS
- Healthcare
- Financial Services
- Legal Services
- Manufacturing
- Insurance
- Real Estate Development
EDUCATION
J.D., Indiana University School of Law — Bloomington, 1986
- Jump Scholar
- Edwards Fellow
- Moot Court Board
- #1 Class Rank
B.A., Ball State University, 1982
- Whitinger Scholar
- Honors Program
- Summa Cum Laude
AWARDS & HONORS
Indiana Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters 2007-2024
- Named Top 50 Super Lawyer in Indiana 2014, 2018-2019
Best Lawyers, Woodward/White Inc., — Appellate Practice & Commercial Litigation 2008-2021
Leadership in Law Distinguished Barrister, Indiana Lawyer newspaper, 2016
BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIPS
Marion County Bar Association
- Board Member, 2017
Indiana State Bar Association
- Standing Committee on Legal Ethics, Chair 2013-2015
- Treasurer and Newsletter Editor – Appellate Practice Section, 2014-2016
Indianapolis Bar Association
- Appellate Practice Section- Former Chair
- Litigation Section- Executive Committee
- Professionalism Committee- Chair, 2016
JURISDICTIONS ADMITTED TO PRACTICE
- Indiana, 1986
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, 1986
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, 1986
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 1991
- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1990
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1987
- United States Supreme Court, 1993
- United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, 1997
REPRESENTATIVE CASES
Appeals:
- Reed v. Farley, 512 U.S. 339, 114 S. Ct. 2291, 129 L. Ed. 2d 277 (1994)
- Schiro v. Farley, 510 U.S. 222, 114 S. Ct. 783, 127 L. Ed. 2d 47 (1994)
- Tyson v. Trigg, 50 F.3d 436 (7th Cir. 1995)
- Williams v. Tharp, 914 N.E.2d 756 (Ind. 2009)
- Keesling v. Beegle, 880 N.E.2d 1202 (Ind. 2008)
- Cavens v. Zaberdac, 849 N.E.2d 526 (Ind. 2006)
- Bayh v. Indiana State Bldg. & Const. Trades Council, 674 N.E.2d 176 (Ind. 1996)
- Citizens Nat. Bank of Evansville v. Foster, 668 N.E.2d 1236 (Ind. 1996)
- Pence v. State, 652 N.E.2d 486 (Ind. 1995)
- Williams v. Tharp, 934 N.E.2d 1203 (Ind. Ct. App. 2010)
- Small v. Rogers, 938 N.E.2d 18 (Ind. Ct. App. 2010)
- Dennerline v. Atterholt, 886 N.E.2d 582 (Ind. Ct. App. 2008)
- Norwood Promotional Products, Inc. v. Roller, 867 N.E.2d 619 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007)
- State v. Hammans, 870 N.E.2d 1071 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007)
- Keesling v. Winstead, 858 N.E.2d 996 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006)
- Avemco Ins. Co. v. State ex rel. McCarty, 812 N.E.2d 108 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004)
- Kernan v. Schindler ex rel. Ernstberger, 801 N.E.2d 189 (Ind. Ct. App. 2003)
Business Litigation:
- Health Sys. Int’l, LLC v. Babb, 1:10-CV-1272-WTL-TAB, 2011 WL 1004578 (S.D. Ind. Mar. 18, 2011)
- Filter Specialists Inc. v. Hendi, 3:08-CV-365 PPS, (N.D. Ind. November 17, 2008)
- Distance Learning Sys. Indiana, Inc. v. A & D Nursing Inst., Inc., 1:04-CV
- 0159DFH-WTL, 2005 WL 775928 (S.D. Ind. Mar. 22, 2005)
Employment:
- Adams v. Ameritech Servs., Inc., 231 F.3d 414 (7th Cir. 2000)
- Scorzato v. Indianapolis Power & Light Co., Inc., IP99-0428-C-T/G, 2000 WL 724010 (S.D. Ind. May 17, 2000)
- Braddock v. Madison Cnty., 34 F. Supp. 2d 1098 (S.D. Ind. 1998)
Prior results do not guarantee future outcomes. Case results vary dramatically depending on specific facts and circumstances.
PRESENTATIONS
“Ethical Issues for the Employment Attorney”, Indiana Lawyer Newspaper Continuing Legal Education, Speaker- October 2018
