Joan Ligocki Blackwell is of counsel in Barnes & Thornburg’s Indianapolis office and a member of the Finance, Insolvency and Restructuring Department. At Barnes & Thornburg, Ms. Blackwell focuses her practice on bankruptcy, commercial law, and litigation matters.

For more than 25 years, Ms. Blackwell was a staff attorney to the Honorable Frank J. Otte of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Indiana. She was also a member of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court local rules committee. Prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg, Ms. Blackwell was a section chief for the Office of the Indiana Attorney General where she oversaw matters relating to bankruptcy, civil prosecution of public corruption cases, and general litigation. She managed administrative and litigation matters for more than 40 state agencies and assisted with the Public Integrity Coalition.

Ms. Blackwell is an adjunct professor at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law where she teaches courses on secured transactions. She has also lectured on bankruptcy matters for seminars for Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum and the Indianapolis Bar Association.

Active in the community, Ms. Blackwell is a former chair of the Heartland Film Festival Awards Gala, and a founding member of the Susan G. Komen® Central Indiana Race for the Cure. She was a board member for the Mothers’ Association for Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory High School and for the International School of Indiana Parents’ Association. Ms. Blackwell is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Indianapolis, a 500 Festival volunteer, and has been active in other civic and fundraising activities for various community organizations.