Partner, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Brian J. Paul is an appellate lawyer and leads law teams in high-stakes commercial litigation. He has briefed and argued everything from weighty abstract constitutional issues to dollars-and-cents business issues and everything in-between, both on appeal and in trial courts around the country. A member of the American Law Institute, recent past-president of the Seventh Circuit Bar Association and top-tier ranked Chambers appellate lawyer, Brian had one client say about him: “Brian is one of the most respected and skilled appellate lawyers, not only in Indianapolis but across the country. He is trusted to deliver timely guidance on complex issues.” Another said: “He is excellent. I enjoyed working with him. He is able to put things into layman’s terms and explains things really well. His written and oral advocacy are short, crisp and to the point.”
Clients hire Brian to digest the complex, and make the complex simple and compelling for busy, generalist judges. In his writing, he strives to cut through jargon and legalese, and distill things down to what’s important. In his oral advocacy, by intense preparation, he strives to be the advocate whom judges trust for the right answers. In the dozens of cases he has argued, Brian has helped clients win on both sides of the “v.” His recent representations include:
Associate, Faegre Drinker
Melinda Hudson represents clients in a broad range of litigation, dispute resolution and regulatory matters. For state and federal trial and appellate courts, she has drafted motions and briefs on threshold issues of justiciability, the merits of federal and state constitutional and statutory claims, and other legal issues. Melinda’s experience also includes taking depositions of plaintiffs and other witnesses, working with expert witnesses, and presenting oral argument to state and federal courts of appeals.
Before joining Faegre Drinker, Melinda served as a deputy attorney general in the Solicitor General Division in the Office of the Indiana Attorney General. She represented the State of Indiana and its officers and agencies in courts including the Indiana Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States. She drafted critical motions, appellate briefs, and amici curiae briefs led by Indiana and joined by dozens of other states. Melinda also argued as lead counsel in appellate cases before the Seventh Circuit and Indiana Court of Appeals, and prepared the solicitor general of Indiana for oral arguments in state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
Vice President, Americans for Prosperity
Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri
Josh Divine was most recently the Solicitor General of Missouri, where he oversaw the office's appellate and special litigation divisions. As Solicitor General, Mr. Divine led Missouri's trial and appellate teams to some of its most significant victories. Mr. Divine was lead counsel in blocking $700 billion in student loan bailouts attempted by the federal government. He was lead counsel in obtaining a $25 billion judgment against China for antitrust violations. And he was lead counsel in successfully defending the Missouri law that prohibits gender transition interventions in minors, making Missouri the only state in the nation to prevail at trial against an equal protection challenge to one of these laws. In addition, Mr. Divine's work at the trial court in Missouri v. Biden (restyled Murthy v. Missouri) helped expose systemic violations of the First Amendment by the federal government, which the trial court found was unconstitutionally pressuring social media companies to suppress millions of free speech posts.
Before serving as Solicitor General, Mr. Divine was Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, where he oversaw all legal issues, managed matters related to the Judiciary Committee, and developed tech policy. Mr. Divine clerked on the Supreme Court for Justice Thomas and on the Eleventh Circuit for Judge William Pryor. He received a J.D. from Yale Law School and a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Northern Colorado. His recent legal scholarship has appeared in the Virginia Law Review and the Hastings Law Journal.
Partner, Ashbrook Byrne Kresge Flowers LLC
Ben Flowers, a partner at Ashbrook Byrne Kresge Flowers LLC, is an accomplished litigator with experience briefing, arguing, and winning high-stakes cases in courts throughout the country.
Before joining the law firm, Ben served as Ohio's 10th Solicitor General. In that role he regularly represented the State of Ohio before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of Ohio. Most prominently, in National Federation of Independent Business v. Department of Labor, Ben led a multi-state challenge to OSHA's vaccine mandate, ultimately prevailing before the Supreme Court.
Ben is a graduate of The Ohio State University and the University of Chicago Law School. Following law school, Ben clerked for Judge Sandra Ikuta of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and for Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court of this United States. Ben lives in Upper Arlington, Ohio with his wife Denise and their three very active children.
Justice, Indiana Supreme Court
Mark S. Massa was appointed to the Indiana Supreme Court by Governor Mitch Daniels in March 2012. He was retained by voters in 2014.
He is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and came to Indiana in 1979 to attend Indiana University. He graduated from IU in 1983 with a degree in journalism, and after internships at the South Bend Tribune and Milwaukee Sentinel, he joined the staff of The Evansville Press, where he was an award-winning sportswriter and covered the courts and local government. In 1985, he became a deputy press secretary and speechwriter for Governor Robert Orr; he later graduated from the evening division of the IU McKinney School of Law, clerked for Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard and joined the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office in Indianapolis. After serving as a Deputy Prosecutor for 15 years, including 7 years as Chief Counsel to Prosecutor Scott Newman, Justice Massa was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Indiana, where he earned the Inspector General’s Integrity Award from the Department of Health and Human Services. He served as General Counsel to Governor Mitch Daniels, chaired the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, served on the Indianapolis Marion County Police Merit Board, and was Executive Director of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute prior to his appointment to the Court.
Justice Massa is an Indiana Bar Foundation Fellow, and a member of the American Bar Association, the Indiana State Bar Association, the Indianapolis Bar Association, and the Sagamore American Inn of Court. He is also an Executive Committee member of the Judicial Conference Court Improvement Program. Justice Massa chairs the Supreme Court Records Management Committee, the Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission, and, pursuant to statute and appointment of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, he serves as liaison to the State Board of Law Examiners and the Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission. He also teaches at the Indiana University McKinney School of Law.
Policy Director and Legislative Counsel, Office of the Indiana Attorney General
Corrine Youngs serves as Policy Director and Legislative Counsel to Indiana Attorney General. Prior to joining the OAG, Corrine worked at the Bopp Law Firm PC, as an associate attorney practicing civil trial and appellate litigation in the areas of First Amendment, Campaign Finance, Election, and Constitutional Law. There, Corrine drafted briefs in state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. She has argued in state and federal district courts, testified before committees at the Indiana Statehouse, and presented oral argument in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. While at the Bopp Law Firm, Corrine also served as general counsel for Indiana Right to Life.
Corrine grew up in Fishers, Indiana and graduated from Marian University Summa Cum Laude with degrees in Theology and Communication. Corrine earned her J.D. from the Robert H. McKinney School of Law, where she served as President of the Federalist Society. Corrine also obtained a Masters in Public Affairs, concentrating on policy analysis at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Indianapolis. While in graduate school, she worked as a legislative assistant in the Indiana General Assembly for the Republican House Caucus.
Corrine resides in Danville, Indiana with her husband Graham, twin girls Vivian and Violet, baby girl Eloise, and labradoodle pup Chloe. She is a member of the Hendricks County Republican Women and cantors at Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic Church. In Corrine’s spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities, CrossFit, as well as interior design and décor.
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