Che'lee John

Che’lee John is an experienced litigator who uses her knowledge of business and appellate litigation to help her clients understand and navigate their disputes. She began her legal career by clerking for the Honorable Judge Nancy H. Vaidik with the Indiana Court of Appeals and learned the impact of plain-language writing for both litigants and the judiciary. From there, Che’lee spent the next four years defending corporate and commercial clients in both federal and state courts in disputes relating to trade secrets, non-competes, products liability, professional liability, and consumer financial services.

Che’lee also has a personal understanding of the frustration and anxiety that can come with litigating estate, trust, and guardianship issues. When several of her husband’s out-of-state relatives passed in a short period of time and there appeared to be issues that needed to be litigated, her husband struggled to find an estate attorney to advocate on his behalf. That is what Che’lee loves about Dillman & Owen Estate and Elder Law’s team—that the firm is truly full service, able to provide expertise in Planning and Life Care with the zeal to effectively fight for their client’s rights.

Che’lee obtained her Juris Doctorate from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University and her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, graduating with a double major in Psychology and Native American Studies. During law school, she was selected for one of only twelve Udall Native American Congressional internships and clerked for the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) as part of their Tribal Supreme Court Project in Washington, D.C. As an Indigenous woman herself (Diné/Navajo), she is passionate about putting her legal knowledge to work on behalf of Indigenous People.

In her personal life, Che’lee spends her time trying to keep up with her two very energetic and strong-willed daughters, Atlanna & Elsie. She is also a lifelong equestrian and is working to retain her retired racehorse to compete in hunter-jumpers. Che’lee and her husband live in the Village of Zionsville and when the weather is nice, you can find them sipping Old Fashioneds on restaurant patios on Main Street.