Delaware County, Indiana

Board of Commissioners Attorney

Dedicated Attorney Serving Muncie, Indiana

John H. Brooke was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, May 17, 1959. He was admitted to bar in 1984 in the state of Indiana, and he was also admitted to practice before U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; U.S. District Courts, Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana and Western District of Michigan.

Education

• Ball State University (B.S., cum laude, Honors College, 1981)
• Indiana University, Indianapolis (J.D. 1984)

Experience and Associations

• Deputy Prosecutor, Delaware County, Indiana, 1986-89.
• Author: “Policies and Procedures Manual,” Indiana Fireworks Users Association (1994);
• “Indiana Mechanic’s Liens,” Credit Manager’s Survival Kit (1993; 1994)
• Member of Muncie, Indiana State, and American (Sections: General Practice; Intellectual Property) Bar Associations.

About Attorney Brooke

I was born in Terre Haute, IN in 1959 because that was the closest hospital for my parents. The doctor that delivered me was the son of the doctor that delivered my father—that happens in a small town. After my birth, my parents stayed in Casey, IL for a while before moving to Indianapolis, and then Delaware County. I graduated high school from Cowan along with 63 other Blackhawks.

I attended Ball State University and graduated, cum laude, with a BS degree and a double major in Political Science and History. During college I decided that to receive a really well rounded education, I would need to gain experience. The best education/experience I received was to drive a taxi cab during college. I learned a great deal about people, and about how they work and interact with each other. I also had a number of other jobs—security guard, hospital cafeteria worker, washing pots and pans, dispatcher, teaching assistant to the Con Law/American Government professor, and investigator for a law firm. All of these experiences lead me to believe that there is no such thing as a bad experience, just some are better than others.

Time in Law School

I attended law school in Indianapolis full time, but soon found that I needed additional experience than just going to class. I started out as a law clerk for a small public organization and then a bailiff in one of the civil courts and then a law clerk at a large law firm. All while going to law school at night and in the summer. Having experienced the law in a big city, I decided to go back to Muncie where I knew people and could start a general practice.

When I started my practice, it was a general practice, anything that walked through the door, I was willing to learn and handle. I started out doing collections, family law, criminal law and insurance defense. The firm I joined had a vibrant insurance defense practice and very soon I was handling my first civil jury trial in the first year of practicing law. Later that same year came my first criminal jury trial and I was hooked as a litigator. After two years, I decided that I needed more experience so I joined the county prosecutor’s office. I started out handling misdemeanor cases and when I left after 3 years, I was prosecuting murder cases and serious felony cases. I was eager to try anything and everything. In three years, I tried over 30 jury trials. I decided to start my own practice.