ABSTRACTS OF RICHMOND - Key Persons
Adam Forrest was raised in Richmond, Indiana, and graduated from Richmond High School in 1993. He attended Marquette University and received his Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations in 1997. Adam then attended the Creighton University School of Law and received his Juris Doctor degree in 2000. After law school, Adam served two years as a staff attorney for the Illinois Supreme Court.
He served for two years as a law clerk for the Honorable William G. Hussmann, Jr., Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana. In 2004, Adam joined the firm as an associate, and in 2009, he became a partner.
He is a general practitioner, with most of his practice focusing on civil litigation, criminal defense, family law, and estate planning and administering. Adam also represents several corporate and individual clients and many Wayne and Rush County municipalities. He is a member of:
The Wayne County Bar Association
The Indiana State and Illinois State Bar Association
Adam also currently serves on the:
Board of Directors of the Wayne County Foundation
Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County
Junior Achievement
Cope Environmental Center
Whitewater Valley Pro Bono Commission
Adam is licensed to practice law in the State of Indiana and the State of Illinois.
Andrew (AJ) Sickmann is a lifetime Richmond resident, and a graduate of Richmond High School in 2004. AJ attended Ball State University, where he graduated, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science in Education. Interested in the law and maintaining the ability to assist others, AJ chose to attend the Valparaiso University School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor Degree. During his time in law school, AJ served as a legal writing teaching assistant, a Legal Diplomat, a member of the Honors Society, and a member of the Admissions Selection Committee. While attending law school, AJ worked as a summer associate for the Firm.
After passing the Bar Exam, AJ began working full time for the Firm as an associate and became a partner in the firm in 2015. Additionally, AJ is an owner of Abstracts of Richmond, Inc., a long-standing full-service title company in Richmond. AJ's practice primarily includes family, municipal, commercial, and school law. In addition to representing individual clients, AJ serves as Corporation Counsel for the City of Richmond, Indiana, as well as the attorney for Washington Township, Indiana. Additionally, AJ serves as Corporation Counsel to the Northeastern Wayne School Corporation, the Union County College Corner Joint School District, and the Western Wayne School District.
AJ is a member of the Indiana Bar Association. AJ is licensed to practice law in the State of Indiana, and in the U.S. District Court in both the Southern and Northern Districts of Indiana. AJ is the former President of the Wayne County Historical Museum, and currently serves as the Vice President of the Whitewater Valley Pro Bono Commission. AJ also serves on the Board of Directors of Communities in Schools for Wayne County, Indiana, and the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, for which he is the Board Secretary. AJ also served on the organizing board of the Wayne County, Indiana, Family Recovery Court.
AJ has been named a Rising Star by Super Lawyer Magazine from 2020 through 2024 and has been recognized by the Top 40 under 40 National Trial Lawyers organization for the State of Indiana.
Christian started as the escrow officer of Abstracts of Richmond, Inc. in August of 2022, although she has been in the title industry since July 2013. Christian enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her partner and their three kids. Christian spends most of her time attending her son's football games, baseball games, wrestling meets, or her daughter's gymnastics meets and playing taxi to practices in between. She loves spending her free time doing outdoor activities, such as boating, kayaking, swimming, or searching for new adventures.
Melissa was born in Kentucky, but she was raised in Wayne County, Indiana. She graduated from Northeastern High School and furthered her education at Ivy Tech to obtain a degree in Business Management with a minor in Marketing and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She has 13 years' background in the insurance industry and obtained her Producers License in 2022. Pursuing other interests along the way, Melissa went to Cosmetology School and managed a salon for three years. She has also been an Event Coordinator for over 20 years and a Worship Leader for over 10 years. Melissa is a mother of two, a grandmother of three, and has been married to her husband, Mike, for 29 years and counting.
Job Titles:
- Receptionist / Title Assistant
Renee was born in Richmond, Indiana, but lived in various parts of New York and Ohio during her childhood and moved back to Richmond just before high school, where she graduated from Richmond High School. She went on to obtain her insurance licenses in Property, Casualty, Life, and Health, working in this industry for 23 years. In 2022, she came to Abstracts of Richmond, Inc., earning her license in Title Insurance, where she assists our knowledgeable staff with various aspects of the Property Buying and Selling Process. She has been married to John Wickett since August 2008, and has three children, Austin, Rachel, and Wyatt, is grandmother to Westin, and is expecting her first granddaughter this spring. She enjoys spending time with her friends and family in her free time.
Richard (Rick) Boston graduated from Richmond High School in 1964 and returned to his hometown in 1971 to begin his legal career after graduation from Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington, now Maurer School of Law, where he received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. Upon returning to Richmond, Rick joined the law firm of Harlan, Schussler, and Keller, a predecessor of the present firm, where he has continued to practice for more than 50 years. Currently, Rick focuses his practice in the areas of wills, trusts and probate matters; business transactions; and real estate. Rick previously held an appointment through the U.S. Department of Justice as a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, from 1979 through 2023. His professional affiliations include memberships in the Wayne County, (past President and Treasurer), Indianapolis, Indiana State, and American Bar Associations. Rick has a strong interest in the cultural arts and has served on the Board of Directors of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, the Board of Directors of the Richmond Art Museum, the Art Advisory Committee for Indiana University East, and as legal counsel to the Starr-Genett Foundation for the preservation of Richmond's historic jazz heritage.
As a graduate of Indiana University (I.U.), Rick has maintained a strong relationship with the University, including both the main campus in Bloomington and Indiana University East, located in Richmond. Rick is a lifetime member of the I.U. Alumni Association and has served as past president of the Wayne County I.U. Alumni Association. He was appointed to the I.U. President's Circle of donors and was the recipient of the Chancellor's medallion in 2019. Presently Rick serves on the I.U.E. Board of Advisors.
Robert (Bob) Bever is a native of Richmond and began practicing law in 1978 with the prior firm of Harlan, Schussler, Keller & Boston. He graduated with honors from DePauw University in 1975 and was a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Indiana University Law School in 1978. He was named Outstanding Young Men of America in 1983 and is listed in Who's Who in American Law. Bob's primary practice areas include real estate development, banking, general corporate and business, estate planning and administration, and municipal law.
His clients include many locally-owned businesses and companies and a National Company, BSN Sports, LLC. Within the community, Bob has served as the:
Chairman of the Board for the Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce
President of the Board for Forest Hills Country Club
One of the Board of Directors for the local YMCA and Central United Methodist Finance Committee
He served as Richmond City Attorney from 1996 to 2004 and currently serves as town attorney for the Towns of Cambridge City and Dublin. He also remains active in local politics. Bob, his wife, Amy, and their two dogs and barn cats live on a 10-acre "farm" just south of Richmond.
Ronald (Ron) Cross grew up in Richmond, Indiana. He graduated from Richmond High School in 1965 and Indiana University in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics. While in undergraduate school, he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa academic honorary fraternity and joined the Lambda Chi Alpha social fraternity. After working for three years in the management training program at Belden Corporation in Richmond, Ron returned to school in 1973 to study law at Indiana University - McKinney School of Law. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from law school in 1976.
He became a member of the Richmond firm of Reller, Mendenhall, Kleinknecht & Milligan, where he practiced until January 1, 1998, when he joined the newly created firm of Boston Bever Forrest Cross Sickmann & Chidester. Since 1976, Ron has practiced with concentrations in school law, municipal law, banking and business law, and the representation of corporate and individual clients in a general civil practice. He has served as general counsel to Richmond Community Schools, Richmond, Indiana, since 1978.
Ron served as assistant city attorney for the city of Richmond from 1992 through 1995. Since January 1, 2001, Ron has served as county attorney for Wayne County Government. In 1998, Ron was appointed by the Indiana Supreme Court to serve as a member of the State Board of Law Examiners' Character and Fitness Committee, and he continues to serve in that capacity.