Top Rated Criminal Defense Attorney in Indianapolis, IN

James J. Bell has been selected to the Indiana Super Lawyers - Top 50 list for 2015-2016 and 2018-2019. James is an attorney at Paganelli Law Group, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. With clients located throughout the greater metropolitan area, including Marion, Hamilton, Hendricks, Boone and Hancock counties, he divides his practice between state and federal criminal defense and professional licensure issues. 

In his criminal defense practice, Mr. Bell provides representation to clients who have been charged by the state or federal government with misdemeanor or felony offenses. These have included such state charges as theft, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and drug possession or distribution. The types of federal crimes that Mr. Bell has experience in defending have encompassed wire fraud, securities or bank fraud, public corruption, and other white collar offenses. He also gives ethical advice to attorneys and represents them in licensure matters. 

He served as the 2018 President of the Indianapolis Bar Association. He is also a past chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the Indiana State Bar Association and the Indianapolis Bar Association. He has also served as the chair of the Indiana State Bar Association Legal Ethics Committe and as an adjunct professor of law at the IU - Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis.

Majoring in English and economics, Mr. Bell attended DePauw University as an undergraduate and received a Bachelor of Arts in 1996. He then enrolled at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis, and earned his J.D. in 1999. 

Highly regarded by his fellow professionals, Mr. Bell has also been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America.