Mark Renner - Indianapolis, IN

Mark Renner is a highly respected former Indianapolis Judicial Officer and attorney with over 44 years of experience since his admission to the Indiana Bar in October of 1981. During his nearly 25-years on the bench in Indianapolis, he was one of the most respected judicial officers in Marion County, and was included in the IndyBar "Meet the Magistrates" spotlight and the official Indiana Courts directory listing. He presided over nearly 150 jury trials and more than 200 bench trials in criminal and civil cases, including a recent 2024 ruling covered by IndyStar. Renner served as a Judicial officer from May 1996 until late October of 2025, starting as Magistrate under Judge Patricia Gifford in Major Felony Criminal Court 4 from 1996 to 2001, where he handled 20–25 jury trials annually, then in D Felony Courts with Judges Wendel Mayer, Reuben Hill, and Richard Good. He later presided in Criminal Court 33 under Judge Clayton Graham for low-level felonies and expungements, Criminal Court 30 under Judge Cynthia Oetjen for major felonies and expungements, and Civil Court 4 under Judge Graham for collections and protective orders. He was also involved in the courts’ 2022 relocation to the Community Justice Campus. Renner served as Commissioner in the Marion Circuit Court from May 2010 to December 2015, presiding over the Title IV-D Juvenile Paternity Court for child support, custody, parenting time, family law, and contempt, and in the Marion Superior Court Civil Division from January 2016 to January 2017 for family law cases, divorce cases, forfeiture matters, drug cases, felonies, misdemeanors, and civil matters under Judges Cynthia Ayers, Alicia Gooden, William Nelson, Barbara Crawford, and P. J. Dietrick. His deiscions from his time on the bench have been covered by WRTV Investigates report and he has been quoted by the Indianapolis Channel 13 News. From 2001 to 2006, he also served as the Marion Superior Court Administrator, building a unified budget, HR manual, salary structure, and IT office; representing the court in federal jail-overcrowding litigation; and securing key grants. Renner’s career began in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Office as Staff Judge Advocate from 1981 to 1983 and Area Defense Counsel from 1983 to 1985, where he tried over 50 court-martials—including the death-penalty defense in United States v. Sgt. Ronald Gillett in 1985, later featured on Forensic Files in the full episode, on IMDb, and in an exclusive Q&A. After his honorable discharge, he joined the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office from 1985 to 1991 as Felony Drunk Driver Prosecutor, Supervising Prosecutor in Major Felony Court 2, and founder/leader of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit, trying over 75 jury trials. From 1991 to 1996 he was State Farm Litigation Counsel at DeMoss & Associates, trying 26 jury trials and arguing a landmark comparative-fault case before the Indiana Supreme Court. He also directed operations at Strand Analytical Laboratories from 2006 to 2008, creating Indiana’s statewide DNA collection system for convicted felons, as detailed on his LinkedIn concerning Strand Labs, and served as Deputy and Acting Director of Public Safety for Indianapolis from 2008 to 2010, managing fire-department mergers, diversity hiring for IMPD, and EMS independence, as detailed on his LinkedIn under Public Service. A graduate of the University of Evansville with a B.S. in Public Administration, cum laude, in 1978 on a full Air Force ROTC scholarship, Renner earned his J.D. from Indiana University School of Law–Indianapolis (now McKinney) in 1981. Renner has taught graduate courses at IUPUI’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs for over a decade and volunteers biannually at the University of Indianapolis, coaching mock trials for health-professional students. Renner has also testified before the Indianapolis City-County Council on budgets, diversity, and jail issues; served on the State Judiciary Probation and Ethics Committees; and co-led federal jail-overcrowding litigation with Judge Cale Bradford. A nearly 40-year Marion County resident and veteran, Renner remains a trusted advocate for clients seeking a former judicial officer with proven fairness, insight, and results. Mark Renner brings valuable insight to the firms criminal defense, divorce law, prenuptial agreement law, family law, protective order law, civil litigation, forfeiture law, personal injury law and expungement law practices.