Scott Chinn |
Partner
scott.chinn@bakerd.com
Professional Experience
Scott Chinn has an extensive background in all aspects of state, municipal and public sector law. His practice includes litigation, transactions and general counsel representations involving a variety of areas, including constitutional, election, public finance, regulatory, utilities and land use law. Drawing upon his many years as an appointed public official and legal advisor to elected officials, Scott is routinely called upon to provide policy, project management and strategic advice and consulting services.
Prior to joining Baker & Daniels, Scott served from 2000-05 as Counsel to Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson and as Corporation Counsel to the City of Indianapolis. He also served as Special Counsel to the Attorney General of Indiana from 1997-99 and previously as Law Clerk to U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton.
Representative Experience
- Argued cases before the Indiana Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court
- Represented the State of Indiana in litigation against the tobacco industry and was counsel to the multi-state subcommittee on allocation of more than $250 billion in tobacco-settlement proceeds
- Served as architect of Mayor Bart Peterson's Indianapolis Works government consolidation plan
- Served as the City of Indianapolis' in-house counsel on the stadium construction/convention center expansion project
- Led the City of Indianapolis' legal team on the purchase of the Indianapolis Water Company
Honors
- The Best Lawyers in America — Appellate Law, 2009-11, and Commercial Litigation, 2010-11
- Indiana Super Lawyers — Government/Cities/Municipalities, since its first publication in 2004 to 2010
- Stanley K. Lacy Leadership Program — Class XXXII, 2007-08
- Indianapolis Bar Foundation — Distinguished Fellow
- Sagamore of the Wabash, 2005
- National Register — Who's Who, 2005-06
- Indianapolis Business Journal — Who's Who, 2002
- Indianapolis Business Journal — Forty Under 40 Award, 2003
- Martindale-Hubbell — Peer Review Rating: AV®
- Indiana International and Comparative Law Review — Editor-in-Chief, 1994
Board Memberships
- Indianapolis Bar Association — Board of Directors, 2005-07 and 2009; Legal Counsel to President, 2008; First Vice President, 2010
- Indiana Municipal Lawyers Association — Board, 2000-07; President, 2005-06
- Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis Alumni Association — Board, 2007-present; Executive Committee, 2010
- State Legislative Study Commission on Marion County Consolidation, 2005
- National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms — Advisory Board, 2003-05
- Mayor's Accessibility Review and Oversight Committee — Vice Chair, 2003-05
- Marion County Board of Ethics — Secretary, 2000-04
- History Society of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, 1995-present
Civic Activities
- Indiana Historical Society
- U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society
- Humane Society of the United States
- WFYI Public Radio and Television
- "We the People" Program — Volunteer
Professional Associations
- American Bar Association
- Indiana State Bar Association
- Indianapolis Bar Association
- Seventh Circuit Bar Association
Publications
- "The Role of Indiana's State and Federal Courts in Legislative Redistricting," 1962-2003, 37 Ind. L. Rev. 643, 2004
- "Discovering the Impact of the 'New Federalism' on State Policy Makers: A State Attorney General's Perspective," contributing author, 32 Ind. L. Rev. 141, 1998
- "American Labor Law on Foreign Soil, Policies and Effects in a Smaller World," 3 Ind. Int'l & Comp. L. Rev. 291, 1993
Presentations
- Indianapolis Bar Association Bar Review Lecturer in Indiana Constitutional Law, 2007-present
- "Section 1983 Case Loads, Attorneys Fees and Public Policy From a Corporation Counsel's Perspective," ICLEF, 2009
- State and Federal Constitutional Law Update, IMLA Annual Conferences, 2001-05
- Indianapolis Bar Association Annual Bench-Bar Conferences, 2002 and 2004
- "Trends in Governmental Litigation from the Municipal Perspective," ICLEF, 2003
- Indiana State Bar Association Utility Law Fall Meeting, 2002
- "Applied Professionalism for the Newly Admitted Lawyer," Ind. OAG, 2001
- "New Cases on Federalism," Ind. OAG, 1999
- "Employer Liability for Sexual Harassment 'Outside' the Workplace,"
PLU, 1996