Craig has 28 years of experience in personal injury law. He attended The John Marshall Law School in Chicago and graduated in 1984. Craig worked as a bailiff and law clerk in Elkhart, Indiana for the Honorable Donald Jones and the Honorable Stephen Platt while preparing for the bar exam.
After passing the bar exam, Craig joined the Law Offices of Charles C. Wicks. After several years, the firm became Wicks and Rieff. Craig handled primarily personal injury cases, but also did family law and estate planning.
In addition, Craig was Deputy County Prosecutor in the Elkhart City Court. In 1989, he joined Gonderman Legal Corporation. The firm later became known as Gonderman & Rieff. Craig practiced exclusively in the area of personal injury litigation handling auto collision, slip and fall, medical malpractice and other types of civil litigation. While there, he worked on several significant cases. Among those were cases resulting in settlements of $8.5 million and $5.9 million. One of the most satisfying cases Craig was involved in was the tragic case of a woman who was beaten to death by her husband in front of her two young children. The husband had been provided a weekend pass from prison and the state failed to notify the woman as they had agreed to do. Although state law did not permit recovery for the children at the time, we were able to convince the governor to pay the two claims. The firm took no fees on those two claims.
The firm handled numerous other significant cases which resulted in significant recoveries for the injured client. In 2007, Craig left Gonderman & Rieff and joined Sweeney Julian, where he practiced personal injury law exclusively. Craig enjoys the satisfaction that comes with making sure that his clients receive fair compensation for the injuries they have suffered.
Craig wrote an article for Trial Lawyers Association entitled “Landowner’s Liability for Obstructing the View of Motorists on Adjacent Public Roads” which was recently published in the Verdict Magazine. In addition to practicing in the area of personal injury, he has also completed mediation training and serve as a mediator in disputes involving personal injury. He also served as a judge for the local high school Moot Court program.
Craig was born in Mishawaka and is a lifelong resident of the area. He graduated from Mishawaka High School and attended Indiana University at South Bend where he graduated with a degree in History in 1981. Craig is married to the former Laura Pabst who is a licensed realtor with Cressy and Everett. Craig and Laura have two children, Ryan, 28, and Lauren, 25. He also has a dog named Buster.
Craig has been active in community activities over the years. He coached baseball at both the Clay Junior Baseball Association and at Chet Wagner Little League for a period of about ten years. He also coached both boy’s baseball and basketball for four years at Christ the King grade school. He also helped coach the girls’ soccer team at Christ the King.
Craig and Laura donate to various local and national charities including the Boys & Girls Club of St. Joseph County, St. Margaret’s House, The Woman’s Care Center, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, The Humane Society, Smile Train, The St. Joseph County Food Bank, The Center for the Homeless and the USO.