For over 25 years, Chad Hanefeld has been practicing in civil litigation. He started his career as a defense attorney, representing insurance companies and their policyholders in lawsuits filed against them for matters ranging from small personal injury claims to claims for wrongful death. In 2003, he changed focus from the defense of lawsuits to the representation of injured persons and the loved ones of people killed as the result of the negligence of others.
As a plaintiff’s attorney, Chad has had the privilege of representing clients in many different types of cases, including automobile collisions, large truck accidents, drowning, premises liability claims including slips, trips and falls, and construction-site injury claims. Chad has won multiple six-figure recoveries for his clients, including $975,000 for a construction accident, $750,000 for a construction accident, $300,000 for a slip and fall, and $340,000 for a public premise claim. He has also completed OSHA coursework to assist in the representation of workers injured in construction-site accidents.
Chad’s goal is 100% client satisfaction. He believes that when you’re dealing with hopefully the only personal injury claim you will ever have, you deserve your lawyer’s full attention. If you want to get the best settlement, your lawyer must fully prepare your case to demonstrate to the insurance company that you will fight for what you deserve. Case preparation is not flashy, and you do not see it on television or in commercials, but hard work is the surest way to get you the best result and it is what every client gets from Chad.
Chad is a frequent lecturer on various legal topics and is often hired by other attorneys to assist them with their personal injury cases.
Contact Chad at chad@vaughanandvaughan.com.
Education
- Indiana University – Bloomington, Bachelor’s, 1993
- Indiana University – Indianapolis, J.D., 1996
Bar Admissions
- Indiana, 1996
- United States District Court, Northern District of Indiana, 1996
- United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana, 1996
Lectures and Seminars
- “Proving and Disputing Damages” (National Business Institute)
- “Identifying Third-Party Tort Claims for Construction-Site Injuries” (Indiana Trial Lawyers Association)
- “Strategies for Successfully Trying the Automobile Injury Case in Indiana” (National Business Institute)
- “An Insider’s Look at Gaining the Best Settlement in Auto Injury Cases in Indiana” (National Business Institute)
- “Successfully Pursuing Third-Party Tort Claims for Construction-Site Injuries” (Indiana Trial Lawyers Association)
- “Personal Injury Trials: Getting the Most Out of Your Evidence” (National Business Institute)
- “The Art of the Settlement” (National Business Institute)
- “Personal Injury Trials: Calculating and Proving Damages” (National Business Institute)
“I believe in an open line of communication between my client and me. You want a lawyer who will talk to you when you have questions. Paralegals and legal secretaries are wonderful people, but when you call with questions or concerns you deserve to be able to talk to the lawyer you hired, rather than a staff person. You deserve a lawyer who will work alongside you to identify your goals to get the result you want.”
