Edward Wartman | Merrillville Personal Injury Lawyer

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About Edward

Ed was born and raised in Calumet City, Illinois graduating from Quigley South High School in Chicago in 1988.  He graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 1992 with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics and Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences.  His years at Northwestern made Ed a diehard Wildcat and Cubs fan.  Ed earned his Juris Doctor degree from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago in 1995.  Ed served as a corporate counsel for Tintari Riebe Services, Inc., a medical consulting and collections firm in Chicago from 1995 to 1998.  In 1998, Ed became an associate attorney with Unterberg & Associates, P.C., one of the largest foreclosure law firms in Indiana.  Ed served an associate attorney, handling the more difficult foreclosure cases, including bench trials, summary judgment motion practice and real estate title problems.  Ed joined Jeffery Oliveira & Associates in 2000, practicing personal injury and bankruptcy law until he joined Ruman, Clements, Tobin & Holub, P.C. in Hammond, Indiana.  Ed served as an associate attorney with Ruman, Clements, Tobin & Holub, P.C. until 2003, trying several jury trials to verdict and handling hundreds of plaintiff personal injury and criminal cases.  In 2003, Ed joined McHie & McHie, practicing personal injury, criminal and bankruptcy law.  In 2005, the McHie firm dissolved, so Ed decided to go into private practice, first in Hammond, and later in Merrillville.   Ed's first has been at its present location in Environ Plaza since December, 2005.  Ed's areas of practice include bankruptcy, personal injury, criminal, and family law.

Ed is licensed to practice in all Indiana and Illinois state courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana.  Ed is also a member of the Lake County and State of Indiana Bar Associations.  He served on the Board of Managers for the Lake County Bar Association from 1998 to 1999.  Ed has authored several articles on debt collection, bankruptcy practice and foreclosure.  He has been a lecturer for National Business Institute several times, most recently in 2015.

Ed is very active in the Northwest Indiana community and volunteers his time in many areas.  He has coached Little League baseball in Lakes of the Four Seasons from 2008 to 2016, and coached youth football for Boone Grove Winfield Pop Warner football from 2008 to 2012 and Crown Point Junior Bulldogs from 2013 to present.  He is also a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Crown Point, Indiana.

Ed has been married for over 25 years and is the father of four children.

Please call today to receive your initial free consultation, and to further discuss our fee structure.

Experience

Associate Attorney

McHie & McHie

2003 - 2005.

Hammond, Indiana

Owner

Edward Wartman & Associates

2005 - Present

Admission

Verified Illinois

1995

Verified Indiana

1995

Education

Northwestern University

Bachelor of Arts (Economics, Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences)

1992

Recognitions & Achievements

Associations
  • Member | Lake County | Indiana Bar Association
  • Past Board of Managers Lake County Bar Association
    1999-2000

Notable Work

Cases

Leonard W. Lapsley and Barbara A. Lapsley v. Xtek, Inc., Case No. 2:05-CV-0174-JVB

The Plaintiffs proceeded to jury trial on the theory of design defect, alleging that the Defendant's industrial drive spindle had been redesigned to omit crucial grease grooves in steel end plate which eliminated a crucial path for grease to travel and dissipate internal pressures. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the Plaintiffs and against the Defendant for nearly $3,000,000.00. The Defendant filed a motion with the trial Court for a new trial and/or to alter the judgment. The trial Court denied the motion, ruling that there was sufficient Plaintiff expert testimony to permit a reasonable jury to return the verdict which was returned in this case.

Leonard W. Lapsley and Barbara A. Lapsley v. Xtek, Inc., Case No. 2:05-CV-0174-JVB

The Plaintiff, Leonard W. Lapsley, was injured on May 19, 2004 while lubricating an industrial drive spindle at what had been known as Bethlehem Steel, Burns Harbor, Porter County, Indiana. The spindle was of a prototype design and had just been installed earlier that day and had never been in operation. Lapsley sued the manufacturer of the spindle, Xtek, Inc. for design defect, manufacturing defect, negligence, and other claims. The Defendant filed a motion for summary judgment claiming that the Plaintiffs did not have sufficient evidence to go to trial on any of their claims. The trial court denied the motion for summary judgment, ruling that there was sufficient evidence to go to trial on the theory that the Defendant's spindle contained a design defect.

Publications

Bankruptcy Reform Update in Indiana National Business Institute

2006


Bankruptcy Law and Procedure from Start to Finish National Business Institute

2006


Breakthrough Collection Strategies in Indiana National Business Institute

2005


Indiana Foreclosure and Repossession National Business Institute

2001


Indiana Foreclosure and Repossession National Business Institute

1999

Founded 2006

Edward J. Wartman & Associates Highlights

Consumer Bankruptcy, Personal Injury, Divorce, Misdemeanor, Slip & Fall Accident

Firm Size: 1
Firm Locations: 1