Introducing

Brian J. Johnson

Brian Johnson has practiced criminal law in Indiana for nearly three decades, representing clients at every stage of the criminal process—from misdemeanor and felony cases in trial courts to appeals before Indiana’s highest courts.

His approach to criminal defense is built around a simple principle: every case deserves a strategy, not a script.

That means looking carefully at the facts and the law, identifying issues others may have missed, understanding the practical consequences of every available option, and giving clients candid advice about what should happen next. Sometimes the right strategy means challenging a search, litigating a suppression issue, taking a case to trial, or pursuing an appeal. Other times, it means recognizing when a negotiated resolution better serves the client.

Experience matters because knowing what can be done is only part of the job. Judgment is knowing what should be done.

Brian has focused almost exclusively on criminal defense since entering private practice in 2000. He has represented clients in cases ranging from OWI and misdemeanor charges to serious felony prosecutions, including murder. He continues to try criminal cases before judges and juries and has substantial experience litigating contested cases in Indiana trial courts.

That trial experience matters even in cases that never reach a courtroom. Evaluating evidence, assessing witnesses, negotiating intelligently, and advising a client whether to accept a resolution all require understanding what is likely to happen if the case is actually litigated.

Brian also has extensive appellate experience. He has argued cases before both the Indiana Court of Appeals and the Indiana Supreme Court and has handled constitutional and evidentiary issues involving searches, seizures, warrants, suppression of evidence, and other questions that can determine the direction of a criminal case.

His appellate work includes a successful challenge involving the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles that made it easier for people throughout Indiana to seek relief from lifetime driver’s-license suspensions.

Brian began his career as a deputy prosecutor in Hendricks County before moving into private practice. That experience gave him an early perspective from the prosecution side of the criminal justice system, but the overwhelming majority of his career has been devoted to representing people accused of crimes.

He graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in Psychology. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis, where he was on the Dean’s List throughout law school and served as an associate editor of the Indiana Law Review. He was elected to the Order of Barristers and was a national finalist in the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition.

In addition to trial and appellate criminal defense, Brian represents clients seeking specialized driving privileges, expungements, sentence modifications, and post-conviction relief.

Across those different areas of practice, the objective remains the same: understand the case completely, identify the available options, and help the client make an informed decision based on careful preparation, realistic advice, and experienced judgment.

Strategic Criminal Defense. Honest Advice. Proven Judgment.