Jeffrey Richard Cardella

I have been a criminal defense lawyer in Indianapolis for my entire legal career, have two decades of experience, and taught criminal law at the IU School of Law.
As a criminal lawyer in Indianapolis, I have represented persons accused of a wide variety of crimes, ranging from murder to minor possession of alcohol. I have experience in all stages of criminal litigation, including jury trials, bench trials, suppression hearings, post-conviction relief proceedings, appellate law and oral argument, expungement and sealing of records under the Indiana Second Chance law, civil forfeiture, constitutional challenges under 42 USC 1983, hardship licenses and specialized driving permits, probation violations, and plea negotiations.
Over the course of my career, I have handled thousands of cases and been lead counsel in hundreds of trials. I have represented members of the legal community, including an Indianapolis criminal defense attorney and two Marion County Sheriff’s deputies. As members of the legal community, these individuals spend a great deal of time in Court and have firsthand experience with many different criminal lawyers. These individuals, who had familiarity with many different Indianapolis criminal attorneys, were aware of the high quality of legal representation that I provide and trusted me to serve as their criminal defense lawyer.
My office has been recognized as one of the ten best law firms in the State of Indiana by the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys, I have been recognized as one of the top ten criminal defense attorneys in the State of Indiana under the age of forty by the National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys, my office has been recognized as a Top 10 Law Firm by the American Association of Attorney Advocates, and I was selected as one of the top 100 attorneys by the National Trial Lawyers. I have taught criminal law at the Indiana University School of Law and have served as a Judge pro tem in Indianapolis. I have represented a fellow criminal defense attorney, an Indianapolis Metro Police Officer, and two former Marion County Sheriff’s deputies after they were arrested and accused of illegal activity. I was lead counsel on the Federal Class Action lawsuit of Washington v. Marion County Prosecutor, in which Indiana’s vehicle forfeiture statute was held to be unconstitutional, under the Due Process clause of the US Constitution. I also co-authored the amicus brief for the United States Supreme Court case of Timbs v. State of Indiana, in which the United States Supreme Court held that Indiana’s attempts at forfeiture were unconstitutional under the Excessive Fines clause of the US Constitution. I handled over a dozen successful lawsuits against the Indiana Department of Corrections, challenging solitary confinement procedures under the Due Process Clause of the US Constitution. I also filed several successful lawsuits against the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department for arrests that violated the First Amendment of the US Constitution. I have handled thousands of expungements and have over a 99% success rate. You can find additional information about my career as an Indiana criminal lawyer and cases that I have handled on my In the News page.
As a criminal defense attorney, I take a client-centered approach to each case. When you call my office, you will speak with me directly. Absent an emergency, all client communication is replied to within 24 hours, including weekends. Additionally, absent an emergency, I will be the attorney with you for every court appearance. Some criminal defense law firms take an assembly line approach to handling criminal cases, where a client is passed around by receptionists, paralegals, and different attorneys at each court appearance. As a criminal defense lawyer in Indianapolis, I believe that this assembly line approach allows important information to fall through the cracks and that this business tactic is not in the clients’ best interest. I treat each client the way I would want to be treated if I were in their shoes, interacting with and representing them directly. I realize that every one of my clients is a unique person with specific goals, and not merely a file.
As a criminal defense attorney, I believe it is my job to help you get through a case as painlessly as possible – without passing judgment. I am aware that as humans, even the best of us occasionally make mistakes. I believe that anyone in our legal system who is accused of wrongdoing deserves to have a criminal defense attorney fighting for their best interests in court and protecting their Constitutional rights.