Maxwell B. Wiley

The very first case I ever worked on involved two innocent men who had been convicted of a crime they didn’t commit. I was a student at IU McKinney School of Law, participating in the Wrongful Convictions Clinic and I had the opportunity to work on the case of Roosevelt Glenn and Daryl Pinkins. They were both innocent men who had already served long prison sentences. The clinic’s work on their case ultimately lead to them being exonerated, and helping out on the case had a huge impact on me. I realized how high the stakes are in criminal law. Simply put, there is no room for error.

I knew from then on that I wanted to work on high-stakes cases. My career began at the Marion County Public Defender Agency, and I worked my way into the Major Felony Division. There, I took more than 90 cases to trial, handling cases ranging from petty theft to homicide.

I then moved to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office after I was offered a position as a Major Felony Prosecutor, with much of my work being focused on homicide cases. My work as a prosecutor honed my skills at trial and gave me an in-depth understanding of how both sides think. Viewing cases through the lens of a prosecutor has made me a better criminal defense lawyer in Indianapolis because I bring that perspective to every case.

I tried 26 jury trials as a prosecutor. I handled 9 murder trials and 2 trials attempt murder trial. Coupled with my work as a criminal defender, I’ve been to trial more than 100 times and gone before a jury on more than 75 occasions.

Since 2019, I have been regularly appointed to indigent defendants in federal court. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in federal court, and have worked on several complex, wide-scale federal drug conspiracy cases.

Defending those accused of serious crimes has given me a better understanding of the human side of legal practice and motivated me to keep our clients from experiencing the unfair consequences of an unjust criminal justice system. In addition to being a good lawyer, I do my best to treat people well and use my experience to fight for my clients’ best interests on every occasion and at every turn.
It started with fighting for Roosevelt Glenn and Daryl Pinkins in law school, and it continues with fighting every day for each of our clients and their family and friends.