Richard Waples

Mr. Waples represents plaintiffs in litigation involving state and federal constitutional claims, and class action litigation. He has over 25 years of experience litigating wrongful death, conditions of confinement, false arrest, police misconduct, and other constitutional claims and consumer class actions. Prior to joining his law partner and wife JauNae M. Hanger in private practice in 1996, Mr. Waples served as the legal director of the ACLU of Indiana for 11 years. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Patrick D. Sullivan, Indiana Court of Appeals in 1984-85.

From 1991 to 1998, he taught trial advocacy as an adjunct professor of law at the Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis. Mr. Waples is a frequent lecturer and author of numerous articles and papers on federal and state constitutional law and federal civil procedure; and he has been a frequent speaker at legal seminars on Section 1983. Additionally he often serves as a commentator on police misconduct to the media. He serves on the Local Rules Committee for U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana (1998-current).

He is a member of the Indianapolis Bar Association; the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, the Seventh Circuit Bar Association; and the National Police Accountability Project. Mr. Waples has received several awards recognizing his work on behalf of Hoosiers, including the Robert G. Risk and the William E. Marsh Awards from the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, and the Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood of Central and Southern Indiana. In 2005 he was named a Super Lawyer in Indianapolis Monthly.