Meet Our Attorneys

Scott A. Benkie
is a partner in the Indianapolis law firm of Benkie & Crawford where he practices in the areas of Business Litigation, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Medical Malpractice, and Class Action Cases.

• Earned his B.A. degree from Hanover College, Dean's List 1979-1982 and his J.D. degree from Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis, 1982-1985. National Moot Court Society and invitation to join Law Review,  April, 1983.
• Author of several articles for the Indiana Lawyer,the Verdict and Res Gestae on the issue of punitive damages for wrongful death, including The Paradox of Punitive Damages in Wrongful Death and Punitive Damage Paradox Resolved?
• Adjunct Professor of Legal Writing Indiana University - Purdue University of Indianapolis.
• Sustaining member of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association and the American Trial Lawyers Association.  Scott is an AV rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, (www.martindale.com) the highest rating for quality and ethics, and is a member of the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. (2007)
  

Trial Practice	Local and State Courts in Indiana United States District Court, Northern District of Indiana United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh District Pro Hac Vice before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware
Legal Affiliations	American Trial Lawyers Association Indiana Trial Lawyers Association Martindale Hubbell, mhBarRegister.com - AV rated attorney Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers 2007
Speaking Engagements and Publications
12/19/00	National Business Institute: Trial Notebooks in Indiana: The Essential Trial Tool
06/05/01	Institute of Paralegal Education: Medical Malpractice From Start to Finish
08/24/01	Indiana Trial Lawyers Assocation: Elder Law from a Tort Perspective
10/23/01	National Business Institute: Damages in Indiana Civil Trial Practice
11/19/02	National Business Institute: Damages in Indiana Civil Trial Practice
06/03/03	National Business Institute: Trying the Wrongful Death Case in Indiana
12/10/03	National Business Institute: Damages in Indiana Civil Practice
10/07/04	National Business Institute: Advanced Issues in Indiana Medical Malpractice
12/03/04	National Business Institute: Damages in Indiana Civil Trial Practice
12/19/05	National Business Institute: Personal Injury from Start to Finish in Indiana
05/19/06	National Business Institute: Personal Injury Trials - Evidence
09/28/06	National Business Institute: Tackling Medical Malpractice Issues
12/05/06	National Business Institute: Plaintiff's Personal Injury
4/27/07	National Business Institute: Automobile Litigation
June, 1999	ITLA Verdict article: The Paradox of Punitive Damages in Wrongful Death
June, 2000	ITLA Verdict article: Punitive Damages Resolved

Representative Cases

Durham v. U-Haul International, 722 N.E.2d 355 (Ind.App. 2000), trans. granted to Indiana Supreme Court, 745 N.E.2d 755 (Ind. 2001)

Barry Durham and Bill Wade v. U-Haul International, et al., 745 N.E.2d 755 (Ind. 2001)

Forte v. Connerwood Healthcare, Inc., et al., 745 N.E.2d 796 (Ind. 2001)

Kennedy v. Murphy, et. al., 640 N.E.2d 764 (Ind.App. 1994), trans. granted to Indiana Supreme Court, 659 N.E.2d 506 (Ind. 1995)

Widmeyer v. Faulk, Court of Appeals case # 41A01-9212-cv-416

Barela v. State of Indiana, 569 N.E.2d 1004 (Ind.App. 1991)

Henard v. State of Indiana, Court of Appeal case # 49A04-95-6-cr-00239

U-Haul Intern'l v. Mike Madrid, Co.. 732 N.E.2d 264 (Ind.App. 2000)

U-Haul Intern'l v. Nulls Mfg. Co., et al., 736 N.E.2d 271 (Ind.App.2000)

Ross v. Olson, 825 N.E.2d 890 (Ind.App. 2005)

Douglas A. Crawford
J.D.Valparaiso University School of Law; partner in the law firm of Benkie & Crawford that has an AV rating.  Doug has served as Adjunct Professor of Business Law, Bethel College (1992).  Doug is a member of the American Association For Justice and is a Sustaining Member of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association.  His practice areas are diverse and include a variety of matters in the areas of civil litigation including personal injury, wrongful death, product defects, medical malpractice, civil rights, and employment litigation.  Doug has lectured in several personal injury seminars, including:

12/19/05    N.B.I.:        Personal Injury from Start to Finish in Indiana
12/05/06    N.B.I.:        Plaintiff’s Personal Injury

Areas of Practice:

Personal Injury
Wrongful Death
Medical Malpractice
Product Liability
Wrongful Termination
Civil Rights

Bar Admissions:
   
Indiana, 1986
U.S. District Court of Northern District of Indiana, 1986
U.S. District Court of Southern District of Indiana, 1986

Education:

Valparaiso University School of Law, Valparaiso, Indiana, 1986
J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
Indiana Bible College, Indianapolis, Indiana, B.A in Bible/Theology, Highest Honors, 1996
Indiana University, college of Arts and Science, Bloomington, Indiana,  B.A, Political Science, 1981

Professional Associations and Memberships:

Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, current Sustaining Member
American Association For Justice

Past Employment Positions:

National Steel Corporation, Industrial Analyst  (1985-1986)
William P. Stanley & Associates (1986-1988)
Sweeney Pfeifer & Blackburn, Associate (1988-1990)
Allsop & Crawford, Attorneys in Association (1990-1994)