RILEY BENNETT & EGLOFF, LLP was established in 1979 with three attorneys who shared a vision of building a respected business and litigation law firm by providing the highest quality legal services in a timely, result-oriented and cost-effective manner. That commitment has proven to be a recipe for success, and has resulted in the steady growth of the Firm, its practice areas and the diversity of its client base.

Today the Firm provides a full range legal services to local, regional, national and international businesses in the areas of business and commercial law; litigation, insurance defense, and insurance regulatory matters; labor and employment law (including worker’s compensation); employee benefits law; estate and business succession planning; real estate and construction law; creditors’ rights and bankruptcy law; intellectual property; and regulatory compliance and government relations at all levels of local, state and federal government. The Firm represents clients in virtually every industry, including finance, insurance, manufacturing, technology, construction, health care, real estate, transportation, telecommunications, wholesale and retail sales, food service and publishing.

The Firm’s growth and an entrepreneurial spirit inspired by the Firm’s business clients ultimately led the Firm to consider the acquisition of its own downtown office building. That goal was realized in late 2003 when the Firm acquired and relocated its offices to the former State Life Insurance Company headquarters – a 5-story, 60,000 square foot glass and limestone building located at the southwest corner of Delaware and Washington Streets in downtown Indianapolis, across from Marion County’s 28-story judicial and government center.

The attorneys of Riley Bennett & Egloff are committed to assisting the Firm’s in identifying their objectives, evaluating available alternatives in light of the pertinent legal environment, and aggressively pursuing those objectives. Staffing assignments are made consistent with the nature and complexity of the problem, and with due regard for both cost considerations and the client’s preferences. In acting on a client’s behalf, Riley Bennett & Egloff functions as a firm, not merely a casual affiliation of attorneys. This ensures that the satisfaction of a client’s legal needs is never constrained by the availability or limited practice area of any one attorney.

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The attorneys and support staff of RILEY BENNETT & EGLOFF, LLP recognize that they provide value to clients by anticipating and avoiding problems, overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for the Firm’s clients’ success. The Firm looks forward to the opportunity to continue to serve its existing and future clients, confident that the Firm’s commitment to excellence will be the key to its further success in the years ahead.

Business and Commercial Law:
RILEY BENNETT & EGLOFF, LLP provides a full range of services to its business and entrepreneurial clients in connection with the formation, operation, acquisition, merger, sale and dissolution of business entities. These services include the drafting, negotiation or review of pertinent documentation, such as incorporation documents, articles of organization for limited liability companies, partnership agreements, private placement memoranda, merger and acquisition documents, employment agreements, service contracts, licensing agreements, commercial forms, franchising and distributorship documents, and other types of instruments and agreements. The Firm also represents both lenders and borrowers in financing transactions.

Litigation, Insurance Defense, and Insurance Regulatory Matters:
RILEY BENNETT & EGLOFF, LLP maintains a comprehensive civil litigation practice in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels. This includes business litigation arising out of real estate, construction, manufacturing, banking, and other commercial and contractual disputes, as well as the defense of tort claims in the areas of products liability, environmental and toxic substance law, officers’ and directors’ liability, worker’s compensation claims, and general personal injury and property damage claims. In addition, the Firm defends professional negligence and malpractice claims asserted against accountants, attorneys, insurance agents, real estate brokers, physicians, dentists, hospitals and other health care professionals. Representation is also provided to primary and excess insurance carriers in the evaluation and resolution of coverage disputes, including declaratory judgment actions, and in the defense of direct actions based upon bad faith and excess judgment claims. Arbitration and civil mediation services in accordance with Indiana’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Rules are also provided, as is representation in regulatory matters before the Indiana Department of Insurance.

Labor and Employment Law, including Worker’s Compensation:
RILEY BENNETT & EGLOFF, LLP provides representation in virtually every aspect of employer-employee relations, acting exclusively on behalf of management. Specific areas of management representation include civil rights charges (race, sex, age, handicap, etc.), minimum wage and overtime compensation investigations, union certification and decertification elections, unfair labor practice proceedings, the negotiation and drafting of collective bargaining agreements and individual employment contracts, grievance and arbitration proceedings, prevailing wage (Davis-Bacon) investigations, IOSHA investigations, unemployment compensation claims, worker’s compensation claims, wrongful discharge actions, Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) claims, Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) claims, and other employment related claims and litigation. Assistance is also provided to employers in all phases of personnel administration, including the drafting or review of employment applications, work rules, employment policies, employee handbooks, covenants not to compete, and employment contracts.

Employee Benefits:
RILEY BENNETT & EGLOFF, LLP provides representation in connection with all forms of employee benefit plans, including tax-qualified plans, such as 401(k) plans, profit-sharing plans, money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, simplified employee pension plans, employee stock ownership plans, and individual retirement account/annuity documents; non-qualified deferred compensation plans, such as Section 457 plans, and other executive compensation plans; and welfare benefit plans, such as cafeteria plans and self-insured medical reimbursement plans. The Firm assists clients in the selection, design, drafting and implementation of these plans, either as individually designed plans for specific employers, or as prototype plans for banks, insurance companies, investment firms and trade associations. The Firm also drafts supporting documents and forms for these plans, assists with the Internal Revenue Service qualification process, and provides consultation regarding reporting, disclosure, administrative, fiduciary and other regulatory matters. In addition, the Firm represents management, plan fiduciaries, and employee benefit plans themselves in employee benefits audits, agency proceedings and litigation.

Estate and Business Succession Planning:
The state and federal tax laws provides a significant incentive to individuals of even moderate means to consider the need for effective estate planning. In a business context, this also includes advance planning for the orderly transition of the management and ownership of the business. RILEY BENNETT & EGLOFF, LLP counsels and assists clients in planning for the disposition of their estates and the transition of their businesses, including the preparation of stock repurchase agreements, wills, trust documents, living wills and life-prolonging procedures declarations. In addition, the Firm provides assistance in the administration of trusts and estates, including the initiation of and representation in probate proceedings, as well as the preparation and filing of trust, estate, and inheritance tax returns.

Real Estate and Construction Law:
RILEY BENNETT & EGLOFF, LLP assists clients in the acquisition, development, construction and sale of commercial real estate properties, including assistance with project and other contract documentation, financing, zoning matters, and the filing, enforcement or defense of mechanics liens. The Firm also assists in the in the drafting, review and negotiation of real estate leases on behalf of both landlords and tenants.

Creditors’ Rights and Bankruptcy:
RILEY BENNETT & EGLOFF, LLP assists creditors in collecting amounts due them under contracts, open accounts, and debt instruments, and provides creditor representation in bankruptcy and other creditors’ rights proceedings. The Firm also assists financially troubled clients in “work out” situations and, when necessary, in filing for bankruptcy protection.

Intellectual Property:
RILEY BENNETT & EGLOFF, LLP assists clients in obtaining copyright and trademark protection for their intellectual property, and in enforcing or challenging copyrights, trademarks and patent rights. The Firm also provides clients with assistance in disputes involving internet domain names.

Regulatory Compliance and Governmental Affairs:
RILEY BENNETT & EGLOFF, LLP provides representation with respect to environmental, tax, licensing and other statutory and regulatory matters, and provides clients with general representation in governmental affairs.