About Joel D.
Joel D. Hand built a legal path that crosses public service, education and private practice. He began his academic journey at DePauw University, earning a B.A. in political science and secondary education in 1992. He then took up law at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, where he completed his J.D. in 1995.
His early work mixed prosecution and education policy. While still a law student he served as a certified legal intern in the Hendricks County Prosecutor’s Office in 1993. After law school he served as legal counsel to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1995. By 1996 he returned to the prosecutor’s office as a deputy prosecutor in Marion County.
Hand spent much of the next decade in roles tied to public safety and government. He joined the Indiana Prosecuting Lawyers Council as the Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor in 2004. He later served as a deputy prosecutor in Hamilton County in 2006 and moved into education policy work in 2007 as Director of Legislative and Governmental Affairs at the Indiana Department of Education. In 2009 his prosecutorial career continued in Carroll County where he was chief deputy prosecutor; he also took on conflict public defender work in Rush County that year.
In 2011 he opened his own practice and is listed as principal and owner of The Law Offices of Joel D. Hand. He is admitted to practice in Indiana and has authorization to appear before the U.S. District Courts for both the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana. His courtroom background spans nearly three decades and includes a mix of trial and advisory roles.
Beyond the courtroom, Hand has remained active in local and state bar activities and community groups. He has served on executive committees of the Indianapolis Bar Association, including the Criminal Justice Section since 2019 and previously on the Small and Solo Firms Executive Committee. He has been a member of the Hamilton County Bar Association since 2006 and participated on the Indiana State Bar Association’s Law School for Legislators planning committee. Community roles have included a term as board president of the Fishers Youth Assistance Program and service on the Miles Ahead advisory board.
Colleagues describe him as a lawyer who moves easily between public office and private practice. He draws on experience as a prosecutor, public defender and legal advisor to clients in state and federal matters. His current practice focuses on criminal matters and legal issues arising from education and government service.
