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Ed Battista has an entrepreneurial drive, which may help explain why starting a business or two while going to law school full time sounded like a great idea to him.

During the early months of his law school career in 2010, Battista had plans with his cousin Charley McIntosh and the backing of his family to open a bakery in the Holy Rosary neighborhood in Fountain Square. They secured a site in January 2011, and turned what had been a factory warehouse into their wholesale bakery, Amelia’s. The bakery specializes in hearth-baked breads in the Italian tradition.

Then Battista and his friend, Andy Marra, were studying for thier Professional Responsibility class when Marra told him about an article in the Indianapolis Business Journal concerning an upcoming state auction for liquor licenses. Marra kiddingly said Battista should get one; it was a joke as the bidding can be fiercely competitive.

“There were 94 licenses and there were 94 bidders, so I got one at face value,” Battista said.

After winning the license, he then turned to his friend, John Adams, and they began planning Bluebeard. The two had planned restaurants before, but the timing for launching them was never right. Now armed with a location and a liquor license, the timing seemed perfect.

Some might say opening a restaurant while in law school might mean that the timing was anything but perfect, but Battista sees it differently. He built Bluebeard while in his second year of law school, and the restaurant opened June 22, 2012. Bluebeard features Mediterranean-inspired fare, and was a semifinalist for the 2013 James Beard Best New Restaurant Award.

He says his legal studies have been invaluable in his business endeavors; Battista earned a business degree from the Kelley School before enrolling in law school “A law degree is like the operation instructions for everything you do,” he said. “You’re able to have a leg up.”

He and his father, Tom Battista, have developed an affinity for repurposing hard to re-develop sites, like that of Bluebeard. He plans to remain in the family business after finishing law school in December 2013 and sitting for the bar. Battista doesn’t rule out practicing law one day, “but it’s not in my sights right now,” he said.