The Lawyers

Jeffrey S. Wrage Attorney/Partner

"The social purpose of tort law is accident and injury prevention. It is only when we fail in our initial purpose that we move to the secondary purpose, which is compensation for the injured person." - Harry M. Philo

Jeffrey S. Wrage, Attorney/Partner, is a Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Jeff is the only Valparaiso attorney and one of only 11 Indiana lawyers to have earned both distinctions. Wrage practices law primarily in the areas of Personal Injury & Wrongful Death, Employment Litigation, and Business Litigation. He was named to the Board of Directors of the National Floor Safety Institute in 2009.

As a plaintiffs’ advocate Mr. Wrage represents individuals and families in state and federal courts in all types of personal injury, wrongful death, and employment litigation. He has tried auto, heavy truck, medical negligence, and premises liability cases. Mr. Wrage’s previous experience defending these types of cases serves him well in counseling his clients on what to expect in the litigation process and in helping them reach a successful conclusion.

Mr. Wrage also focuses his practice in plaintiffs' employment litigation, including FMLA, ADA, Title VII discrimination, Title VII retaliation, Equal Pay Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, and wage and overtime claims. Mr. Wrage also handles business and complex litigation for the firm’s municipal, estate and conservancy district clients.

Active within his church as a lector at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Mr. Wrage also previously served as the church’s pastoral council co-chair. Also active within the community, Mr. Wrage discusses legal topics at local area schools, civic gatherings, labor union meetings, Chamber of Commerce programs and at Indiana University Northwest. Jeff also volunteers for the Boone Grove Math Fair, the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce Reality Store, the "Ask Me What’s Great About America" program (associated with the Indiana State Bar Association which discussed the Bill of Rights), the Valparaiso Lions Club, and as a youth sports coach.

Areas of Practice: Personal Injury/Wrongful Death; Medical Negligence; Employment Discrimination; Civil Rights; Business Torts Litigation; 100% of practice devoted to litigation

Professional Credentials: J.D., Valparaiso University School of Law, 1994; B.S., Business Economics & Public Policy, Indiana University - Bloomington, 1991; Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, National Board of Trial Advocacy

Bar Admission: Indiana, 1994; Illinois, 1994; U.S. District Court, Northern & Southern Districts of Indiana;
U.S. District Court, Northern; District of Illinois; U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit

Additional Achievements: National Institute for Trial Advocacy, 2003; Certified Member, Million Dollar Advocates Forum; Indiana Super Lawyer, 2010; National Floor Safety Institute Board of Directors

Membership Associations: Indiana State Bar Association; Illinois State Bar Association; Porter County Bar Association; Lake County Bar Association; Indiana Trial Lawyers Association - Sustaining Member; The American Association for Justice, formerly The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; National Employment Lawyers Association

Publications and Presentations: Presenter - October 1999 – Tank Truck Carriers Association St. Louis, Missouri – “What a Carrier Should Do:  The First Hours after a Serious Loss”

Contributing Author – 1999/2000 – TransPoints – monthly publication of the ATA (American Trucking Association)

Author – Indiana Lawyer – 2003 – “Recent Indiana Supreme Court Decision Ignores Indiana Children”

Author – The Verdict (a publication of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association) – Spring 2006 – “The Risk of Serious Personal Injury or Death by Electrocution is a Non-Delegable Duty”

Presenter – 2006 ITLA Lifetime Achievement Seminar Indianapolis, IN – “The Risk of Serious Personal Injury or Death by Electrocution is a Non-Delegable Duty”

Author – Winter 2007 Article – “Back to Basics:  Seven Steps for Litigation an Auto Crash Case with the Client” (also published in the Spring 2008 Verdict Magazine with permission)

Presenter – December 2007 – NBI Seminar Merrillville, IN – “Personal Injury:  Practical Tips and Applications”

Presenter – December 2008 – NBI Seminar Merrillville, IN – “Personal Injury:  Practical Tips and Applications”

Presenter – November 2011 – ICLEF Seminar Merrillville, IN – “Successfully Handling Employment Matters from the Employer and Employee Perspective”

Published Cases: Mayflower Transit, Inc. v. Davenport, 714 N.E.2d 794 (Ind. App. 1999)

Sweet v. Art Pape Transfer, Inc., 721 N.E.2d 311 (Ind. App. 1999)

Randolph v. Methodist Hospitals, Inc., 793 N.E.2d 231 (Ind. App. 2003)

East Chicago Police Dept. v. Bynum, 826 N.E.2d 22 (Ind. App. 2005)

Beta Steel v. Rust, 830 N.E.2d 62 (Ind. App. 2005)

Mayfield v. Levy Co., 833 N.E.2d 501 (Ind. App. 2005)

Hlinko v. Marlow, 864 N.E.2d 351 (Ind. App. 2007)

In re Estate of Holt, 870 N.E.2d 511 (Ind. App. 2007)

Wiley v. McShane, 875 N.E.2d 273 (Ind. App. 2007)

State Farm Mut. Auto Ins. Co. v. Jakupko, 881 N.E.2d 654 (Ind. 2008) (amicus curiae)

Manns v. Richie, 937 N.E.2d 44 (Ind. App. 2010)

Personal: Born in Rockford, Illinois, Dec. 6, 1968