Renee Mortimer is the Partner-in-Charge of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP’s sole Indiana office. She has a broad litigation practice with particular emphasis in managing large risks and exposures, and litigating large and excess risks. Ms. Mortimer’s clients in this area have included large corporations and financial institutions.

Ms. Mortimer’s defense litigation practice includes retail and hospitality liability, professional liability, medical malpractice, general liability, products liability, municipal liability, ERISA benefits litigation and trucking and heavy vehicle litigation. Her commercial litigation practice includes UCC matters.

Ms. Mortimer is a national counsel for the American National Red Cross, handling general liability, personal injury and property damage litigation for them. In addition, she manages a recommended preferred counsel bank in 47 states for the American National Red Cross.

She appears regularly in state and federal courts in both Indiana and Illinois, and has tried multiple cases to verdict in both states. Ms. Mortimer joined Hinshaw in March 1995 as an associate in the firm’s headquarter office in Chicago, Illinois. In 1998 she transferred to the Schererville office to head its litigation practice, and has been the Partner-in-Charge since 2000. She is the Business Development Partner of the firm’s Defense Litigation Department and has been a regional director for the firm. Ms. Mortimer is a past member of the firm’s Executive Committee and a past co-leader of the firm’s Transportation Practice Group.

In October 2011, Ms. Mortimer was invited to become a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel.

In June 2011, Ms. Mortimer received an Influential Women of Northwest Indiana Award. One of only 11 women selected in 2011, Ms. Mortimer was honored for her influence in the legal industry category.

In 2009, Ms. Mortimer was elected a Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA), a trial lawyer honorary society. Fellows are invited based upon effectiveness and accomplishment in litigation and superior ethical reputation. Membership in the LCA is limited and represents less than one-half of one percent of all American lawyers.

She is a leader in both the Indiana and Illinois communities. In Indiana, Ms. Mortimer is a member of the Calumet American Inn of Court. She is also a member of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana, and serves as a member of its Board of Directors. Ms. Mortimer has served on the Board of Managers of the Lake County Bar Association. She also often serves as a Lake County judge pro tempore.

In Illinois, Ms. Mortimer has served as a director and then officer of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, and as an elected member of the General Assembly for the Illinois Bar Association.

Ms. Mortimer’s professional memberships also include the Council on Litigation Management, and the Defense Research Institute (DRI), where she is the Webinar Chair of the Retail and Hospitality Liability Committee.

Since 2008, Ms. Mortimer has been named annually to the Super Lawyer list in the area of Personal Injury Defense: General, by Illinois Super Lawyers magazine. In addition, she has been rated by Martindale-Hubbell for ethics and legal ability. She is included in “Who’s Who in America.” Ms. Mortimer has served as an editor of the IDC Quarterly, a respected publication of the of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel. She has also chaired and co-chaired seminars for them and other defense bar organizations.

In addition, Ms. Mortimer regularly lectures at the request of her clients on many topics, including safety issues, pre-suit investigation and how to coordinate national/regional counsel programs.