(INDIANAPOLIS) -- George Plews, founding partner of Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP and an attorney whose work has shaped Indiana environmental and insurance law, has been named a Senior Distinguished Fellow of the Indianapolis Bar Foundation, in recognition of his dedication to the people of Indiana and the legal profession.

Senior Fellows of the Indianapolis Bar Foundation are Distinguished Fellows who have been nominated based upon their continued outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession. 

A 30-year veteran as a successful trial and appellate advocate, Plews has been lead counsel on a number of critical cases that have enabled recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars to fund environmental cleanups. Soon after Plews helped found Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP, he began representing clients with serious environmental remediation problems who were seeking coverage for the cost of clean-up from their insurance carriers. In a string of hotly contested cases, he led the other lawyers at the firm in creating a body of law that helps insurance policyholders with environmental remediation issues obtain payment for the work necessary to clean up contamination.  This case law has provided a means to assist policyholders with cleanups and has helped make Indiana a cleaner and environmentally safer place to live and work.

His expertise includes a wide range of other complex cases, including product liability, financial transactions, class actions, and personal injury cases.  Plews represented the State of Indiana in successful litigation against the tobacco companies, and was co-counsel in bringing some of the first class actions in the country challenging banks' incorrect handling of adjustable rate mortgages.

Plews began his career at Baker & Daniels, Indianapolis in 1979 as an associate and was made a partner in 1986.  He started what is now Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP as a founding partner in 1988. Since that time, Plews has helped grow his firm from just 4 attorneys to more than 35 today and has helped shape the careers of countless others.

In 2009, Plews was named Distinguished Barrister by the Indiana Lawyer. Plews has also been named a "Super Lawyer" for the last 8 years, including this year being named an Indiana Top 50 Super Lawyer. Plews has been recognized as a Best Lawyer in America and is ranked as a Leader in General Commercial Litigation by Chambers & Partners.  He has authored more than 50 articles and is a frequent speaker and teacher of law courses at Indiana University.

Plews recently was elected to the national Board of Trustees for the National Public Radio Foundation.  He holds or has held numerous leadership positions with a host of community and legal organizations, including the St. Richard's School Foundation (President), Princeton University Alumni Association of Indiana (President and Schools Committee Chair), Trustee Leadership Development, Inc. (Treasurer), the Indiana Interchurch Center (Assistant Treasurer), the Indiana Civil Liberties Union (Vice President), the Indianapolis Bar Foundation (Executive Committee), Trinity Episcopal Church (two-term Senior Warden) and the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis (Chancellor).  He also is Chancellor and a board member of a national organization, the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes.  He has served on numerous corporate and civic boards of directors, including Novia Underwriters, Inc., Novia Care Clinics, the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, Horizon's Urban Student Enrichment Program, the Indianapolis Rowing Center, Waycross Camp and Conference Center, and Leadership Ventures, LLC.  He is a fellow of the Indiana and Indianapolis Bar Foundations.  Finally, for nearly 30 years, Plews has coached the 7th and 8th grade boys' basketball teams at St. Richard's School.

About Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP
Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP is an Indiana law firm with expertise in environmental law, insurance coverage, complex litigation and business transactions. Through its collection of related practice areas, the firm has grown into the largest environmental law practice in Indiana and is nationally recognized for its work on landmark insurance law cases. Headquartered in Indianapolis, with offices in South Bend, the firm litigates toxic tort, class action, product liability, finance and other complex matters in courts across the U.S. Its broad business law practice includes real estate transactions, commercial litigation and employment law. Additional information about Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP is available at www.psrb.com.