Jeff R. Hawkins, American lawyer, practicing in the areas of Elder Law, Trusts and Estates, Business Law, and Civil Mediation.
Background
Jeff Ray Hawkins, born in 1966 in Sullivan, Indiana, United States, is the elder son of Jerry Ray and Rita Jo Hawkins. In 1987, Jeff married Jennifer J. (Hunley) Hawkins, eldest child of Robert E. and Susan Hunley, of Dugger, Indiana, United States. Jeff and Jennifer have one daughter, Erin E. Hawkins, who was born in 1997 in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. Jeff and Jennifer are members, and Jeff is an elder, of the Westside Church of Christ in Sullivan, Indiana, United States.
Education
Jeff is a 1984 graduate of Sullivan High School, in Sullivan, Indiana, United States, where he competed in wrestling and football, and sang bass in concert choir and the Golden Arrow Singers.
Sullivan County connections brought Jeff together with Jennifer after their freshman year at Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana. The couple married during their fourth year of college in 1987, while Jeff was finishing his studies in corporate finance at the Kelley School of Business and Jennifer studied music education degree with a double emphasis in band and choir at the the Jacobs School of Music.
The Hawkins graduated from the respective schools at Indiana University in 1988, and enrolled the following year
in the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville, in Louisville, Kentucky. Jeff and Jennifer graduated from law school with the degree of Juris Doctor in 1992 and passed the Indiana Bar Exam later that year.
Jeff Hawkins is a lawyer admitted to practice in Indiana and Illinois. His legal career began with in partnership with Jennifer and their mentor, John Rowe, in the Jasonville law firm of Rowe & Hawkins in 1992. The firm represented banks, schools, cities, towns, a hospital, and many individuals, families, and small businesses. Jeff's early practice included commercial and municipal law, but he gradually refined his focus on elder law, trusts and estates, and business law.
Jeff and Jennifer moved the practice from Jasonville to Sullivan in 2001 when they continued their refinement of practice into elder law, trusts and estates, and business law as Hawkins & Hawkins LLC. The firm reorganized its legal structure and tradename in 2003 as Hawkins Law PC. Elder law has become the firm's principal focus in recent years, so the firm revised its tradename in 2019 to practice as Hawkins Elder Law.
The Hawkins' early emphasis on trust and estate law led them to pursue certification as trust and estate specialists. Jeff became a Trust & Estate Specialty Board Certified Indiana Trust & Estate Lawyer in 2007, and Jennifer received the same specialty certification in 2010. The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel elected Jeff as an Indiana Fellow in 2011.
Jeff was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2012, and he became a registered Indiana Civil Mediator in 2013.
Jeff is an elder of the Westside Church of Christ. He teaches children's Sunday school classes, provides pastoral counseling to some of the contributions members, and shares responsibility for preaching with other congregation members, including his co-elder Wes Bedwell. Jeff composed the elders' statement of perspective that appears on the congregation's website at: https://westsidechurchfamily.com/welcome-to-westside-church-of-christ-online-2/welcome-to-westside-church-of-christ-online/
Politics
Years of serving as counsel to Republican and Democrat officials elected to city and county government offices led Jeff to maintain a publicly apolitical stance. The resulting perspective is that officeholders and candidates seek election to serve the greater good of their fellow citizens, and the citizens should respect the offices held by successful candidates, regardless of whether citizens agree with officeholders' particular policies or positions.
Membership
Jeff is a member of multiple national, state, and local professional associations. Although he participates most actively in the Indiana State Bar Association (President, 2014-15), Jeff is also a participating member of several other general and substantive law organizations related to his geographic and substantive practice elements.
Indiana State Bar Association
,
United States
October, 1992
Illinois State Bar Association
,
United States
2013
National Association of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)
,
United States
2004
American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC)
,
United States
2011
Indiana Association of Mediators
,
United States
2015
Terre Haute Bar Association
,
United States
2014
Sullivan County Bar Association
,
United States
2011
Personality
Most people think of Jeff as a warmly receptive person with a gregarious public personality because of his expressive public speaking style. Many of his Indiana State Bar Association colleagues and members of his church congregation are also familiar with Jeff's assertive leadership style that also embraces collaborative decision-making and careful consideration of minority perspectives. Close family members and friends also know Jeff for his very soft and sentimental heart that is subject to tender emotions concerning family members, friends, colleagues, and clients. He is very passionate about maintaining close relationships within his family and his church congregation.