Chris Blackburn
Attorney | Blackburn Romey
Chris Blackburn is a personal injury, trucking accidents and MVA trial lawyer and attorney at Blackburn Romey in Fort Wayne, Indiana. J.D., Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Guest on “Celebrating Justice” Ep. 40.
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“People ask, ‘Why would you take that case?’ And our mindset is — well, that’s not the question. The question is, 'Do they need help?'”
Chris Blackburn didn’t start his legal career right away. He spent time in finance and on the farm — real-world experience that grounded his view of people and shaped how he practices law today. But law was always there. He grew up around it. Saturdays spent tagging along with his father to client meetings and being in and out of the office as a kid gave him an early, unspoken apprenticeship. When he finally made the decision to return to law school, it wasn’t just a career shift. It was a commitment — to his family, to helping others, and to building something that mattered.
Chris is now a trial lawyer based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he practices alongside his father, sisters, and brother-in-law at Blackburn Romey. He brings a hands-on, deeply personal approach to every case, no matter the size. “Small cases are our niche,” he says — and he means it. Whether it’s a slip and fall at a senior complex or a devastating semi-truck collision, Chris doesn’t ask whether a case is worth taking. He asks whether someone needs help.
That background — farming, trucking, finance — gives him an edge in the courtroom, especially in trucking litigation. He knows what it means to drive a semi, to understand weight, braking distance, and blind spots from the inside. That kind of insight doesn’t just help with discovery. It earns trust with juries.
He tries cases fast. Efficiently. It’s a deliberate strategy modeled after top trial attorneys, because jurors respect clarity and momentum. His verdicts speak to that, especially in conservative venues where even modest awards are hard-won.
At the heart of Chris’s work is a sense of humility and collaboration. He’s helped lead internal efforts at the firm to define its culture, mission, and values — putting integrity, teamwork, and client-centered service at the core. And that foundation has kept the team strong. Many of the attorneys and staff have been there over a decade, building something together.
Chris sees himself first as a problem-solver and guide, not just a litigator. He shows up for his clients — wholly and with purpose. He knows their lives, because in many ways, he’s lived them too.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Chris Blackburn
Why did Chris Blackburn want to become a trial lawyer?
Chris Blackburn grew up in the law, riding along with his father to Saturday client meetings and home visits and doing odd jobs at the office in high school. After college he spent several years in finance, sales and farming, but something was missing: the chance to work with family and help people. When he told his wife, a nurse, that he wanted to go back to school, she warned him not to mess it up. “That was by far my biggest motivation,” he says.
What makes Chris Blackburn different from other personal injury lawyers?
Chris farms, raising cattle after years of row crops, and he knows how to drive a semi, having hauled 40- and 45-foot trailers. In trucking cases that gives him a firsthand understanding of how big the rigs are, how they maneuver and why they cannot stop, which helps him weigh what a defendant claims in discovery. He also tries cases fast, in a day or two rather than five, an approach modeled on trucking lawyer Joe Fried. “I think the jury respects that,” he says.
What case does Chris Blackburn still think about?
Chris recalls Willie, an 84-year-old client who slipped on ice outside his apartment complex for residents 65 and older and suffered a spiral hip fracture. Asked at trial how the injury changed his daily life, Willie said only that it took him longer to put on his socks. Evidence showed one maintenance man handled snow removal for the complex and had asked for help. The jury rewarded Willie. Chris also cites a semi crash client who spent six months in a halo; a day-in-the-life video settled that case at mediation.
What is Chris Blackburn’s “Closing Argument”?
Chris says a firm has to look inward before it can distinguish itself. After a conversation with his sister, Blackburn Romey surveyed its staff and attorneys to define who it is, producing core values, a mission and a vision: client-centered service, integrity and accountability, team collaboration and innovation and adaptability. Humility and vulnerability are traits the firm hires for. He also urges injury attorneys not to fear trial. “Trial ultimately is where you are going to find good and bad. You’re going to find justice,” he says.
Where is Chris Blackburn’s firm located, and what does it handle?
Chris practices at Blackburn Romey in Fort Wayne, Indiana, alongside his father, his sisters and his brother-in-law. The firm handles personal injury matters including trucking accidents, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, wrongful death and catastrophic injury, and it takes on small cases as readily as large ones. Its lawyers have long tenures, with the shortest about eight years and Chris approaching 15. The firm’s website is blackburnromey.com.
Where did Chris Blackburn go to law school?
Chris earned his law degree at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, returning to school several years into a career in finance and sales. He says he was not a great student until law school, driven there by his wife’s warning not to mess it up and by the pull of working with family. He belongs to the Indiana State Bar Association, the Allen County Bar Association and the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association.
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