Steve M. Badger is a partner in Barnes & Thornburg’s Indianapolis office and serves as the firm’s deputy general counsel. Mr. Badger has more than 20 years of experience handling a wide range of complex litigation matters for business clients.
Mr. Badger counsels and advises media organizations on media law issues, including rights of access and litigation avoidance, and represents media organizations in litigation involving the First Amendment, defamation, protection of news sources, rights of privacy and publicity, and copyright and trademark enforcement. He defends attorneys, insurance brokers and other professionals against claims of negligence or misconduct. He also represents alcoholic beverages concerns, including in litigation involving the 21st Amendment.
As a frequent presenter and author, Mr. Badger speaks and writes articles about ethics and professionalism in the legal industry.
Mr. Badger has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America since 2008 in the areas of commercial litigation (2008-2016), First Amendment law (2009-2016) and media law (2016). He has also been recognized by Indiana Super Lawyers magazine each year since 2010.
Active in the community, Mr. Badger serves as vice chair of the Indiana Commission on Continuing Legal Education. He is also a member of the Indianapolis Friends of E-Discovery and the American, Indiana State and Hamilton County bar associations. Mr. Badger is a former president of the Indianapolis Association of Wabash Men. He chairs the Indiana State Bar Association’s Long Range Planning Committee and has served as counsel to its board of governors and chairman of the Professionalism, Legal Education, Admission and Development Section.
After earning his B.A., summa cum laude, from Wabash College, Mr. Badger earned his J.D., summa cum laude, from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. In law school, Mr. Badger was a member of the Order of the Coif and a managing editor of the Indiana Law Journal.
In addition to being admitted to practice in the state of Indiana, Mr. Badger is also a registered civil mediator.
