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Partner and Chair, Indianapolis Litigation Practice Group
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Andi M. Metzel joined Taft in 2018, where she focuses on commercial litigation and land use. One of the things she enjoys most about her work is that it allows her to indulge a lifelong love of (and aptitude for) sales and negotiating. “I thrive on problem solving, investigating facts, and developing winning strategies,” Metzel said. “I have never stopped negotiating, even back when it was over my nap time.” Metzel made impressive strides in her legal career before it technically even started. Metzel became a certified legal intern while participating in the criminal defense clinic program at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in the mid-1990s, which gave her the opportunity to serve as first chair in her first jury trial while still studying law. Aside from working briefly as a prosecutor in Marion County, she’s spent her legal career practicing in the Indianapolis offices of regional and national law firms. She currently serves on teams working to transform more than 100 acres of former industrial and manufacturing land near the White River and Monon Trail, and she recently was part of a team that scored final approvals for two utility-scale solar projects in Starke County, which come with a combined $650 million in planned capital investment. “I am excited to be working now on a number of active projects around the state that have the potential to create high-wage jobs, accelerate growth and generate extraordinary investment in Indiana,” she said.
Givebacks: past board chair and vice chair, Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis; past board member, D.A.R.E. Indiana; participant in various educational programs, including The Indiana Kids Election, the Lady Justice Badge Program (Girl Scouts of Indiana), Indiana We the People Program
Motivation: “It’s never the same,” she said. “In this dynamic field, you use multiple skills and thrive by being creative and strategic. Plus, it’s intellectually stimulating.”
Important traits: active listening and the ability to appreciate multiple perspectives
Advice: “This is a career for the self-disciplined. It demands focus, diligence and self-management.”
Lessons learned: Metzel keeps a paper calendar at all times. “Technology is great when it works,” she said. “But when it doesn’t, excuses will not save the day.”
Favorite de-stressors: “Anything in fresh air.”•
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