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Scott B. Cockrum

Partner

Scott Cockrum is the Administrative Partner of the Northwest Indiana office and a partner in the Indianapolis office of Lewis Brisbois. He has extensive experience handling professional liability claims in state and federal courts in Indiana, including ones involving the defense of architects, engineers, lawyers, accountants, surveyors, property managers, and realtors. He also frequently represents physicians and nursing homes in medical malpractice claims.

Recent successful matters of his include:

  • Obtained summary judgment based on contractual application of an AIA contract for an engineering firm in a case regarding a roof collapse several years after construction; the property owner had claimed over $17 million in damages in state court in Noble County, Indiana.
  • Secured dismissal of a professional conduct grievance and accompanying legal malpractice case against an attorney client in St. Joseph Superior Court, St. Joseph County, Indiana.
  • Obtained defense verdict after a week-long jury trial representing an OB-GYN in Lake Superior Court, Lake County, Indiana following allegations that the OB/GYN had caused significant damage during a surgical procedure.
  • Obtained summary judgment for a general surgeon in a medical malpractice claim in Lake Superior Court, Lake County, Indiana alleging post-surgical complications which led to the patient’s death.

In addition, Scott has experience defending products liability and general liability claims. He represents insurers in coverage disputes, declaratory judgment actions, bad faith cases, UIM claims, and other allegations of breach of contract. He handles bench trials for the Indiana Patient’s Compensation Fund in petitions for excess damages under Indiana's Medical Malpractice Act, and has handled more than 50 appeals, including multiple oral arguments, before Indiana's appellate courts.

Scott spent five years as an adjunct instructor in the paralegal program at Calumet College of St. Joseph, and is a regular presenter at CLE events and conferences. 

Publications

Co-authored, "Independent Counsel and Defense under a Reservation of Rights: Where We Are and Where We Are Going," Indiana Civil Litigation Review, 2017

Published Opinions

  • Estate of Staggs v. ADS Logistics,102 N.E. 3d 319 (Ind. Ct. App. 2018)
  • Admiral Ins. Co. v. Banasiak, 72 N.E.3d 1491 (Ind. Ct. App 2017)
  • Merrillville 2548, Inc. v. BMO Harris Bank, NA., 39 N.E.3d 382 (Ind. Ct. App. 2015)
  • Kapoor v. Dybwad, 49 N.E.3d 108 (Ind. Ct. App. 2015)
  • Wertz v. Asset Acceptance, 5 N.E.3d 1175 (Ind. Ct. App. 2014)

Professional Presentations

  • “Insurance Coverage Litigation”, National Business Institute, Merrillville, IN, December 2018
  • "The 5 W's of Defending the 30(B)(6) Deposition", 2015 DTCI Annual Conference, Bloomington, Indiana, November 2015

Admissions

  • State Bar Admissions
    • Indiana
    • Michigan
  • United States District Courts
    • United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
    • United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
  • United States Bankruptcy Courts
    • United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana
  • United States Courts of Appeals
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

Admissions

Indiana

U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana

U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana

United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

Associations

Board of Directors, Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana, 2021-2024

Awards & Honors

Listed in Best Lawyers in America® 2023 — Insurance Law

Education

University of Notre Dame Law School

Juris Doctor, 1998

Indiana State University

Master of Arts in English, 1995

University of Southern Indiana

Bachelor of Science, 1993

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