William John Reinke

Reinke, William 4279119_514000 TP

Title: Lawyer
Location: Granger, Indiana, United States

William Reinke has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Lawyers for dedication, achievements, and leadership in trial and management law.

When Mr. Reinke was in college, the dean of his school, Bryon Trippett, taught a course called English Institutional History. One of the things he learned during this course was the institution of law, and he came to the realization that lawyers were the center of everything. In this revelation, he decided that he would go into law to be in the center of the action. He earned an AB, cum laude, from Wabash College in 1952 and followed his interests in law at the University of Chicago, where he received a JD in 1955. That same year, Mr. Reinke was admitted to the state bar of Indiana.

In 1957, Mr. Reinke joined Barnes & Thornburg and predecessors, a firm located in South Bend, IN. He contributed as an associate until 1961, when the quality of his work and devotion to his clients was recognized. For the remainder of his career, and his time with the firm, he served as a partner and then as counsel. In his career, he is known for trying the first no fault case in Indiana. In addition, Mr. Reinke’s greatest achievement was a trial involved with inverse condemnation. He had a client where the state took his neighbors land and rerouted the streets in such a way where his backyard was now his front yard. He tried to get money from the state but they said no so he filed suit. Mr. Reinke is credited with creating inverse condemnation- this is the act of the client gives the state the land but they want to be compensated for it.

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In recognition of his work, Mr. Reinke has received a number of awards and honors. He received the Outstanding Local President Award from the Indiana Jaycees. In 1979, he received a Boss of the Year Award. Furthermore, he is the recipient of the South Bend Outstanding Young Man of the Year, the Wabash College Richard O. Ristine Award and the Life Patron Fellow accolade from the St. Joseph County Bar Foundation. He served as a sergeant with the US Army and was a member of the management planning unit. Throughout his career, Mr. Reinke maintained affiliation with the American Bar Association, the Indiana State Bar Association, the St. Joseph County Bar Association, the Indiana Bar Foundation, the American Judicature Society, the Summit Club and the Rotary.

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