25 Years of Making a Difference: Craig, Kelley & Faultless celebrates its 25th Anniversary

Before Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC was a nationally recognized law firm, before books were published and cases were won, it was an idea tossed between three coworkers. It was a dream no one knew they’d see come true. But they hoped. They believed.

After all of the dreaming and laboring and persevering, Craig, Kelley & Faultless became an acclaimed personal injury law firm that serves clients across the Midwest. And, 25 years since three lawyers and their spouses dared to believe in it, Craig, Kelley & Faultless celebrates another year of success.

The first four and only original employees of the firm reflect on what it took to get here.

David Craig: “It wasn’t a question of if, but when.”

By 1999, David Craig had practiced law for over 10 years. He had graduated from law school in 1985 and was working at a personal injury law firm. The work he did was important to him, but something about it fell short.

He didn’t have much control at the firm. He was unhappy with the popular reputation of personal injury lawyers as heartless and egotistical. To David, this area of law demanded empathy, kindness and respect.

David’s philosophy then remains the same today: Life is short. It would be a shame to be here and not make a difference.

Though he wasn’t rich, he never craved money. He had always believed that relationships with clients mattered more than the paycheck.

Two of the attorneys working with David shared this ideology. David decided it was time to take a leap of faith. The three attorneys and their spouses met to weigh the risk against the reward. Could they open their own firm?

Looking back, David doesn’t remember fear. He wasn’t scared.

“It wasn’t a question of if, but when, we’d succeed,” he said.

On June 23, 1999, David Craig, William “B.J.” Kelley and Scott Faultless left their jobs to open the law firm they’d envisioned.

Scott Faultless: “If we were ever going to do it, we had to do it then.”

In the summer of 1999, Scott Faultless was a soon-to-be father of four, with three daughters under the age of five and a son on the way. He grew up on a farm in small-town Indiana and knew the value of hard work.

He had discovered his love for litigation during his second year of law school when he was David Craig’s law clerk. In 1995, he took a job at the law firm where David worked. Scott bonded with the two attorneys and agreed that leaving was a risk worth taking.

“If we were ever going to do it,” he said, “we had to do it then.”

The truth was that they might not make any money for six months. It might even take a year. And it did. Any money they made in those first several months went right back into the firm.

B.J. Kelley: “We started with nothing but our experience, our brains and our intuition.”

B.J. Kelley had been at the personal injury law firm a few years longer than David and Scott. He was originally from Batesville, Indiana, and moved back there when his wife took a job at the hospital.

He worked well with David and Scott. They all had their own strengths and shared a passion for public service. Leaving was a mutual decision, despite the uncertainty.

“We left with nothing but our experience, our brains and our intuition,” B.J. said.

His wife was petrified. There was no guarantee that this would work out, but the attorneys worked harder than they ever had. Because they each had experience with other law firms, they knew the pitfalls they wanted to avoid.

They would communicate their frustrations respectfully and honestly. They would work on cases as a team, using their individual talents. Having a strong moral compass would help them survive.

Success wasn’t optional.

Dana Craig: “The stress never ends. But it’s worth it.”

After establishing Craig, Kelley & Faultless, Scott and David worked from the Craigs’ home in Indianapolis. Scott spent his days at the dining room table; David went out to do hearings and talk to clients; and B.J., still based in Batesville, worked in a pole barn that had been converted into an office.

Dana sat by the phone and waited for it to ring. She placed phone book ads. When clients needed help, she’d be ready.

That June, the Craig kids, home from elementary school for the summer, had to play outside or tiptoe through the house. A few months later, the firm would rent a small office space in a building a few miles from the Craigs’ home. Today, they own the entire building and have filled it with employees.

When the law firm first opened, the school bus dropped their children off at the office after school because they couldn’t afford a babysitter. Dana bought used furniture and tried to make it look new. That first year was long. It stretched ahead of them all like a winding road, and they strained to see the end.

“It was not easy and was, in fact, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” Dana said. “We did what we could to get by.”

Each new hire was a sacrifice for the partners. Sometimes, in order to make payroll, the partners didn’t get paid. They had more than just three families counting on them now, and they wouldn’t let their clients or their employees down.

Twenty-five years later: Telling our story

Today, Christopher Barry, Alex Craig and Whitney Coker have joined David, B.J. and Scott as partners of the law firm. There are over 40 employees and 10 attorneys, two of whom are David and Dana’s children. They grew up in the firm, putting stamps on envelopes, landscaping, drafting complaints and doing other tasks.

Dana, David, Scott and B.J. have dedicated every bit of themselves to the firm. They’ve shoveled snow and painted walls. They’ve won and lost and held onto the dream. There were plenty of bad days, but the good always outnumbered them.

At the heart of the firm are a few guiding values. Treat others as you’d like to be treated. There is always room for growth. And people matter most.

When Scott reflects on the past 25 years, he remembers the hugs. He remembers the poignant moments of gratitude. Knowing that he has done something good provides joy.

“I just enjoy helping people, plain and simple,” he said.

The three men like and appreciate each other more than ever, B.J. said. They are proud of what they’ve built. The firm has become a leading resource for victims of large truck and commercial motor vehicle wrecks.

The mission statement of Craig, Kelley & Faultless is to make a positive difference in the lives of its clients, employees and the people who live in the communities in which it practices. They make a difference in the lives of clients by never treating them like files. Instead, they provide client-focused representation. Each case and person are different, and, here, they are treated as such.

The law firm makes a difference in the lives of its employees by providing opportunities for growth. Many of the Craig, Kelley & Faultless employees have been with the law firm for decades and hold different positions than they began in. Most of the attorneys were previously law clerks, and some of them have even become partners with the firm. Success here requires hard work, compassion and accountability. Craig, Kelley & Faultless would not be as successful as it is if not for the extraordinary efforts of everyone at the firm.

Craig, Kelley & Faultless positively impacts the community by holding safety events to teach others how to safely share the roadways with semis, using driver simulation machines to teach the dangers of distracted driving, putting out safety videos, sponsoring local community events, and giving away bike helmets.

The firm makes a difference because it is able to and because it’s a goal the founders refuse to lose sight of.

“For many of us,” Dana said, “that is the greatest reward.”