Attorneys
With over 25 years of experience, O’Dell & Associates has provided an integrated association of professionals committed to attaining clients’ goals through quality service, pragmatic guidance, and thoughtful planning. The proficiency, expertise, and experience of its attorneys create achievable goals and practical results for its clients through communication and teamwork.
Robert S. O’Dell
Mr. O’Dell attended Wabash College, where he graduated cum laude in 1984, and Indiana University School of Law – Bloomington, where he also graduated cum laude in 1987. He was admitted to practice law in Indiana on October 16, 1987, and has achieved and maintained an AV rating with Martindale-Hubbell (the highest possible rating) since the 1990s. O’Dell & Associates P.C. is committed to maintaining the highest quality and ethical legal counsel required by its clients. You may view Mr. O’Dell’s Martindale-Hubbell rating here.
Mr. O’Dell began his career with an insurance defense firm, at which time he developed a relationship handling coverage and liability cases for State Farm Insurance that continues to this date. In 1992, Mr. O’Dell began handling coverage and liability cases for American Family Insurance, which also continues to this date. Over the course of his career, Mr. O’Dell has handled cases for numerous other major and minor insurance companies. Those cases have included personal injury defense, property damage defense for automobiles and other forms of property, environmental contamination claims, construction defects, fire losses, first and third-party bad faith claims, agent liability claims, uninsured and underinsured personal injury defense and coverage, and all manner of insurance coverage cases for personal, farm/ranch, commercial and construction claims.
Mr. O’Dell’s practice focuses on first-party litigation, primarily involving fire losses, coverage questions, bad faith, and punitive damage claims. His practice includes all counties in the entire State of Indiana, as well as the United States District Courts for the Southern District and Northern District of Indiana. Mr. O’Dell has represented several prestigious national insurers and had numerous opinions rendered on insurance matters in the Indiana federal courts.
Over the years, Mr. O’Dell has tried dozens of cases to verdict and handled hundreds of coverage cases in both state and federal courts in Indiana. Mr. O’Dell has handled numerous appeals to the Indiana Court of Appeals and the Indiana Supreme Court, including the following opinions: Dodd v. American Family Mutual Insurance Company; Groce v. American Family Mutual Insurance Company; Travelers Indemnity Company of America v. Jarrells; Safe Auto Insurance Company v. American Family Mutual Insurance Company; Shaw v. American Family Mutual Insurance Company; American Family Mutual Insurance Company v. Matusiak; American Family Mutual Insurance Company v. Hall; Trade Source, Inc. v. Nu-Tec Roofing Contractors, Inc.; and Burr v. United Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company. Mr. O’Dell argued the Dodd and Jarrells matters before the Indiana Supreme Court. Mr. O’Dell is also admitted to practice and presented an oral argument before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. O’Dell has also prevailed on numerous other coverage decisions, including the following published decisions: American Family Mutual Insurance Company v. Fox; American Family Mutual Insurance Company v. Betts; American Family Mutual Insurance Company v. Mill Installation & Construction, Inc.; American Family Mutual Insurance Company v. CMA Mortgage, Inc.; American Family Mutual Insurance Company v. Hayden; American Family Mutual Insurance Company v. Estate of Sloan; American Family Mutual Insurance Company v. Williams; and Schulz v. American Standard Insurance Company of Wisconsin.
Mr. O’Dell is a member of the American Bar Association, Indiana State Bar Association (Tort and Insurance Practice and Litigation Sections), Indianapolis Bar Association (Insurance and Litigation sections, and member of the Insurance Coverage Executive Committee), Claims Litigation and Management Alliance (Extra-Contractual Committee Member and Insurance Fraud Committee member), Defense Research Institute (Insurance Law Committee member and Trial Tactics Committee member), Indiana Defense Trial Counsel, IASIU (Legal Adviser to Indiana Chapter), NSPII, as well as the International Association of Arson Investigators. In addition, Mr. O’Dell is a member of the American Association for Justice. Visit Mr. O’Dell on LinkedIn for more information relating to his qualifications and endorsements.
Duane C. Martin
Duane Martin has over 36 years of legal experience. He was admitted into the State of Indiana, Northern District of Indiana, and the Southern District of Indiana in 1987. He was a social science teacher at Wiley High School in Terra Haute and an account manager at Sherwin Williams Paint Company in Indianapolis.
Mr. Martin’s professional experience includes an extended period of time working at the Indianapolis Police department as a Uniform Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, and Burglary and Larceny Detective. He also worked as a criminal investigation instructor, assistant legal advisor, white-collar crime detective, and director of criminal law training.
Regarding legal practices, he has worked as an associate attorney at Harrison and Moberly, an assistant city prosecutor, and practiced personal injury and medical malpractice at Miller, Waters, Martin, and Hall. Duane attended the Indiana University School of Law and Indiana State University.