Patrick A. Shoulders

Partner
  • :
    Indiana University B.A. – English
    Indiana University J.D. – Magna Cum Laude

Practice Areas

Meet Pat

Pat Shoulders is a partner whose practice is concentrated in litigation. Admitted in both Indiana and Kentucky, he has tried hundreds of cases and is among the most recognized trial lawyers in Southwestern Indiana. Pat has represented the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation as General Counsel for more than 35 years.
Pat has been listed in every edition of Indiana Super Lawyers and has repeatedly been named among the top 50 lawyers in the state. He is a Fellow of the Indiana State Bar Association’s Small Firm Hall of Fame, a past chair of its Litigation Section, and has received ICLEF’s Lifetime “Excellence in Continuing Legal Education” award.
Pat earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University and his law degree, magna cum laude, from the IU McKinney School of Law. He has served as President of the Evansville Bar Association, a member of the ISBA Board of Governors, and as a Trustee of Indiana University for nearly two decades. He has also served as President of the Evansville Parks Foundation, the Evansville Museum, and the YMCA, and has been recognized as a Sagamore of the Wabash and a Kentucky Colonel.

Affiliations

Professional Organizations
  • American College of Trial Lawyers – Fellow
  • Litigation Counsel of America
  • Federation of Defense & Corporate Council
  • American Board of Trial Advocates, Associate
  • American Bar Association, Fellow
  • Indiana State Bar Association, Master Fellow
  • Kentucky Bar Association
  • Evansville Bar Association – Past President
Bar Admissions
  • United States District Court – Southern District of Indiana
  • State of Indiana
  • State of Kentucky
  • United States District Court - Western District of Kentucky
  • Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
  • United States Supreme Court
Community Organizations
  • Indiana University, Board of Trustees (2002 – 2021)
  • Evansville Parks Foundation, Past President
  • Evansville Museum of Arts & Sciences, Past President
  • Evansville YMCA, Past President
  • WNIN Public Television, Co-Host “Shively & Shoulders” television program

Experience

In more than 45 years of legal practice, Pat has tried cases in the State and Federal Courts of Indiana as well as Kentucky. In both court and jury trials, Pat has received major verdicts in favor of his clients in a wide variety of cases including the defense of wrongful death claims, medical malpractice actions, complex civil litigation involving major corporate litigants and business-related litigation of every kind. He has argued many cases in the Indiana Supreme and Appellate Courts, as well as in the 6th and 7th Circuit Courts of Appeal. His courtroom experience and years of service as a school lawyer, make him a popular speaker at continuing education seminars for lawyers and school administrators.