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Ryan Gardner, ’04, was sworn in as a Magistrate in Marion Superior Court’s Juvenile Division on February 22.

Gardner was most recently a staff attorney for Child Advocates Inc. since 2013. He has had a solo law practice since 2008, specializing in employment discrimination, and also, for five years, served as a juvenile division public defender representing parents in child abuse and neglect cases.

Ideally, juvenile court is a “problem-solving” court, Gardner said. Families and children can have very traumatic experiences, and it isn’t always easy for attorneys, service providers and judges, either, he said.

“It’s nothing I take lightly, but I’ve been in this area, in some capacity, for ten years. For six years at Child Advocates, I have been advocating for the best interests of the most vulnerable parties in abuse and neglect cases,” he said. “This is something I have wanted to do for quite a while, and I am very excited about this next phase of my career."

Gardner started his legal career as an associate with Lewis Wagner, LL.P. He was a founding board member for the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana.