Cara Schaefer Wieneke

 

For as long as she can remember, Cara wanted to be a lawyer. While attending college at Indiana University in Bloomington, she majored in Criminal Justice. After receiving her Bachelor's Degree, Cara continued her studies in graduate school, focusing on Criminology, before deciding to attend law school. At the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis, Cara was a member of the Indiana Law Review, was named to the Order of Barristers in the school-wide moot court competition, received an award for her dedication to pro bono service, was included in the Who's Who: American Law Students in 2002, and was president of the Law Students Against Capital Punishment. She graduated summa cum laude.

As an attorney, Cara served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Margret G. Robb on the Court of Appeals of Indiana. After a brief stint at a family law firm, Cara devoted her practice to providing exceptional legal representation for criminal defendants at the appellate and post-conviction stages. As a deputy state public defender, she focused exclusively on representing clients during the post-conviction process. After leaving the State Public Defender's office, Cara opened her own firm. She is currently the managing member of Wieneke Law Office, LLC, where she divides her time between representing private clients on their appellate and post-conviction cases, and handling contract cases from the State Public Defender's office.

Cara is admitted to practice law in the State of Indiana, the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana, and the Supreme Court of the United States. She co-authored the Sex Offender Pamphlet, a resource on sex offender registration issues for criminal defense attorneys. She is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Indiana State Bar Association's Appellate Practice Section, and a life member of Scribes - The American Society of Legal Writers. She has handled over 100 appeals, has participated in oral arguments multiple times before the Supreme Court of Indiana and the Court of Appeals of Indiana, and has practiced in nearly every county in the state.

Cara currently resides in Hendricks County, Indiana, with her husband and partner in law, Joel; and their son.

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