Laura K. Binford, a partner with Riley Bennett Egloff LLP, was honored as the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana (DTCI) Defense Lawyer of the Year during its annual meeting Wednesday, November 20 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.

Following the dinner where Laura was recognized, she said, “I am incredibly honored to receive this award from my peers. However, this honor is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication by the entire RBE med mal litigation team including my co-counsels and RBE support staff. I am also greatly appreciative of our clients who trust us to represent their health care providers and to take cases to trial when appropriate.”

Don Smith, a fellow partner at RBE, had the pleasure of introducing Laura to accept her award — “she is a great partner, a great mom, a great wife, and a great friend.” Smith noted that “Laura worked especially hard in 2024” as he shared some background on the successful defense of her two jury trials, one of which took 12 years to get to trial.

A native of Crawfordsville, Ind., and an alumna of Butler University and the IU McKinney School of Law, Laura has been a member of the medical malpractice defense litigation team at RBE for 34 years. Laura is an Indianapolis Bar Foundation Distinguished Fellow, and has been recognized annually by Best Lawyers in America® and Super Lawyers®. She is a member of the Indianapolis Bar Association, DTCI, the Defense Research Institute (DRI), and the American Health Lawyers Association.

Pictured: Laura Binford and Don Smith, fellow partners at Riley Bennett Egloff. Photo credit: DTCI