Bridging the Gap: A Family Team Practicing Law in a Small Town

Circle City Conversations

Emily Guenin-Hodson is a Trial Lawyer at Guenin Law Office, P.C., an award-winning firm operating out of Wabash, Indiana. A renowned personal injury lawyer, Emily focuses on cases involving insurance companies, injury claims, and wrongful death. Born and raised in Wabash, she returned to her hometown to join her lawyer dad in the family practice after graduating from the Maurer School of Law in 2003. Their efforts have resulted in successful outcomes in many types of cases, including car crashes, construction failures, motorist insurance claims, product failures, plant explosions, electrocutions, and fire losses. As an active member of the Indiana law community, Emily serves as Chair of the Indiana Commission for Continuing Legal Education and President of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association.

In this episode…

Working in a family-owned law firm can be rewarding for relatives despite the complex environment. In addition to collaborating with people you trust and care about, family members usually work toward a common goal. However, like any other business, success in such a partnership requires a foundation of knowledge, open communication, and a shared vision. Trial lawyer Emily Guenin-Hodson shares her experiences navigating the nuanced dynamics of a father-daughter legal team.

Inspired by her father's legal practice and mentorship, Emily joined her family’s law firm after law school and made history as one of the youngest attorneys to argue a case before the Indiana Supreme Court. She has since collaborated on numerous appellate briefs with her father, focusing on civil cases in diverse areas of law. Citing her family's passion for helping friends and loved ones with legal issues as the foundation of the firm’s growth, she describes how these principles influenced her drive to improve access to justice in the small town of Wabash. With her work in trials and appeals leading her to serve on the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association’s Executive Committee, Emily highlights the association’s efforts in advocating civil justice for Hoosiers, continuing legal education programs for attorneys, and its influence in protecting citizens from harmful laws.

In this episode of the Circle City Conversations, Alexander Limontes hosts Emily Guenin-Hodson, Trial Lawyer at Guenin Law Office, P.C., to discuss the intricacies of practicing law in a family-owned firm. Emily shares her experience as a personal injury attorney in her hometown, the differences between appellate work and trials, legal strategies for handling complex cases in a small town, and the intersection of community service and legal practice.