Christopher W. Bloomer

Chris Bloomer assists clients with all aspects of business, banking, commercial, and complex litigation matters. This experience includes a concentration in construction litigation, including claims for delay, liens, state and federal Miller Act claims, and accompanying dispute resolution. Mr. Bloomer also counsels parties at each seat of the proverbial construction table before project commencement, to ensure objectives are achieved, risks are minimized, and future litigation is avoided or considerably diminished.

Mr. Bloomer counsels political subdivisions, local units, public agencies, and each of their elected officials, department heads, and employees in matters involving Indiana’s Public Access Laws (Open Door Law “ODL” and Access to Public Records Act “APRA”), public bidding laws, public purchasing laws, sale, lease, and purchase agreements, public works projects, annexation, eminent domain, Indiana’s Unsafe Building Law, the Indiana Tort Claims Act, enforcement of local code violations, negotiation of interlocal agreements by and between multiple governmental entities, and guidance concerning the day-to-day operation of local government.

Prior to joining Krieg DeVault, Mr. Bloomer was a Senior Government Sales Manager for Aventis Systems, Inc., where he served as lead sales representative for all enterprise-class server, storage array, networking, and software orders for the Department of Defense, federal government agencies, and state and local agencies. Prior to his public sector responsibilities, Mr. Bloomer provided Aventis Systems’ solution-based services to small, medium and Fortune 500 clients throughout the Midwest. This advisory role, spanning a total of nearly seven years, honed Mr. Bloomer’s client-centric problem-solving approach, whereby he was able to increase client efficiencies, reduce costs, and drive customers’ businesses forward through the use of leading technology, business innovation, and a proven ability to identify and alleviate client challenge – skills which he continues to leverage within his legal practice at Krieg DeVault.

Representative Experience

• Represent clients with filing and foreclosing mechanic’s liens
• Represent owners and lenders in defense of mechanic’s liens
• Represent clients in mediation and other pre-trial settlement negotiations
• Successfully negotiated confidential settlement agreement and releases for insurance company sued by several plaintiffs
• Successfully negotiated settlement concerning alleged services provided to out-of-state construction project
• Successfully represented secured lender’s interests in mechanic’s lien dispute through negotiation of another party purchasing statutory release bond
• Obtained favorable judgment for insurance client accused of improperly denying coverage
• Obtained favorable judgment for global financial institution accused of mishandling cash deposit
• Represent commercial developers in landlord-tenant disputes and possessory matters
• Assist clients with pre-trial discovery, including small and large-scale ESI and hardcopy document review, redaction, and production
• Provide ancillary services to small, medium, and large corporations, including representation in Small Claims Court
• Advise municipal clients concerning interlocal agreements entered into by and between units of government
• Counsel municipal clients concerning real property acquisition and improvement, including the use of eminent domain
• Serve as outside counsel to municipal clients seeking to enforce state statutes, as well as local ordinances
• Deliver presentations to governmental clients, including department heads and key decision makers, with respect to best practices under the Indiana Code and recent developments in case law
• Present evolving trends in Indiana law to local units of government, including, among other topics: the Indiana Tort Claims Act (“ITCA”), public purchasing, public bidding and public works laws, Indiana’s Open Door Law (“ODL”), and Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act (“APRA”)

Professional Associations

• Indiana State Bar Association, Member
• Indianapolis Bar Association, Member

Awards & Recognitions

• Indiana Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2022-2023

Seminars & Presentations

• Presenter, "APRA Records Requests: What must be disclosed? What can be withheld? Are there time limits for the government’s response and document production?," Krieg DeVault Podcast Series, July 27, 2022
• Presenter, "Bidding Public Works Projects: Common Pitfalls and Considerations," National Business Institute, July 22, 2022
• Presenter, "Unsafe Building and Code Enforcement," Accelerate Indiana Municipalities & IMLA Municipal Law Seminar, June 24, 2022
• Presenter, “Bidding on Public Works Projects: Common Pitfalls and Mistakes," AIM Ideas Summit, 2021
• Presenter, “Public Access: The Open Door Law and Where We are Going Under HEA 1437," Accelerate Indiana Municipalities & IMLA Municipal Law Seminar, June 2021
• Presenter, “Bidding Public Works Projects: Common Pitfalls and Considerations,” AIM (Accelerate Indiana Municipalities), December 2020
• Presenter, "Best Practices Under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act," AIM Ideas Summit, August, 2019
• Presenter, "Offsetting the Public Impact of Development: Development Exactions and Impact Fees," Indiana Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting, June, 2019
• Presenter, "Best Practices Under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act," AIM Ideas Summit, October, 2018

Publications

Construction and Litigation:

• Author, "Owners / GCs / Subs / Suppliers / Lessors – Check Your Contracts. Court of Appeals Decision Highlights Challenges when Dispute Resolution Process Varies,"  August 25, 2022
• Co-Author, "Court Bulldozes Indiana Contract Provision Requiring Florida Litigation," August 9, 2021
• Co-Author, "Preserving (or Defeating) Mechanic's Lien Rights Amid COVID-19," July 22, 2020
• Co-Author, "COVID-19: What Every Construction Owner and Entity Should Do Right Now," March 26, 2020
• Co-Author, "Indiana's "Little Miller Act" Alleviates Concern that Public Works Projects Remain Immune to Mechanic's Liens," November 6, 2019
• Co-Author, "Mechanic's Liens Remain Unavailable to Certain Construction Suppliers," June 24, 2019
• Co-Author, "AIA form documents offer predictability, cost-savings to contractors and subcontractors," February 7, 2019

Municipal and Governmental Law:

• Co-Author, "Public Access Counselor Addresses Board’s “Final Action” Under Indiana’s Open Door Law," February 14, 2022
• Author, "Eliminating Blight: Court Issues Opinion re: Indiana’s Unsafe Building Law," January 26, 2022
• Co-Author, "Open Door Law Update: “Declared Emergency” Virtual Meetings Continue Under Governor Holcomb’s Eighteenth Renewal of the Public Health Emergency Declaration," September 8, 2021
• Co-Author, "Public Access Alert: New Law Permits Electronic Meetings, but Requires Planning," May 19, 2021
• Co-Author, "Indy’s Amazon HQ2 Records Shielded by APRA (and What it Means for Local Economic Incentive Records)," February 26, 2021
• Co-Author, "Emergency Public Works Project? In Addition to Obtaining Bids, Declare the Emergency on the Record," February 1, 2021
• Co-Author, "Local Governments at Risk if Agent Waives Notice Requirement Under the Tort Claims Act," July 19, 2020
• Co-Author, "Exceptions to Indiana's Open Door Law and Access to Public Records Act Extended Until June 13, 2020," May 21, 2020
• Co-Author, "Exceptions to Indiana's Open Door Law and Access to Public Records Act Set to Expire on May 23, 2020," May 14, 2020
• Co-Author, "Indiana's Public Access Laws Further Suspended in Response to COVID-19," April 3, 2020
• Co-Author, "During a COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, What Constitutes an “Essential Matter,” Thus Warranting a Public Meeting by Local Governmental Entities?," - March 31, 2020
• Co-Author, "Indiana's Public Access Counselor Provides Open Door Law (“ODL”) Guidance Following Governor Holcomb's Most Recent COVID-19 Executive Order," March 20, 2020
• Co-Author, "Indiana's Open Door Law (“ODL”) Partially Suspended in Response to COVID-19," March 18, 2020
• Co-Author, "Finding Elements of Adverse Possession Unmet, Record Owner Awarded Real Estate," October 31, 2019
• Co-Author, "Investigatory Records Exception to Indiana's Access to Public Records Act ("APRA") Analyzed by Court of Appeals," May 1, 2019
• Co-Author, "Immunity under the Indiana Tort Claims Act (“ITCA”) unavailable to government entity after student murdered away from school premises," March 19, 2019
• Co-Author, "Court’s finding that property violated Indiana’s Unsafe Building Law provides best practices to local units of government," December 13, 2018
• Co-Author, "Community Crossings Program provides matching grant funds for local roads and bridges," June 5, 2018
• Co-Author, “Local Trax” Program provides local entities a resource for improving rail grade crossings," May 7, 2018
• Lead Article, Rethinking Assembly Ordinances: Three Considerations Cities Should Make To Avoid Another Ferguson Or Baltimore-Type Riot, 44 Ohio N. U. L. Rev 1 (2018)

Certifications

• Legal Lean Sigma® White Belt

Education

• J.D., cum laude, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, Indiana, 2017
  
  • IU Moot Court (Named to Order of the Barristers)
  • ISBA Moot Court (Moved to semi-finals, arguing in front of the Indiana Court of Appeals)
  • Legal Extern to Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush
  • Indiana Law Review (Executive Board Member)
  • Dean’s Tutorial Society Member
• B.A. in Political Science, with Distinction, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indiana, 2014
  
  • Dean's List

Bar & Court Admissions

• Indiana (2017)
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana (2017)
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana (2017)

Practices

• Construction Litigation
• Litigation and Dispute Resolution
• Public and Municipal Finance
• Municipal and Governmental Litigation

Industries

• Construction
• Government