Miller Sachs & Hess, PC

Attorney Christina J. Miller

Miller Sachs & Hess, PC is happy to announce the addition of Attorney Christina J. Miller to their firm. Attorney Miller has been a devoted member of the Indiana legal community since October of 1988. In her 30 years of practice, Attorney Miller has served in many capacities, including her judicial appointment as Magistrate of the Lake Circuit Court beginning in 1995. Initially she served on the Family Court bench, hearing various family law matters including dissolution of marriage, custody, child support, interstate child support, interstate paternity, and adoptions. After nearly ten (10) years of service on the Family Court bench, Attorney Miller then transferred to the civil bench where she presided over a general civil docket including jury trials, real estate tax cases, breach of contracts, foreclosures, mental health detentions and she also enjoyed serving as Judicial Settlement Officer for the Court, settling nearly all cases brought to her in that capacity. After 12 years of service, in the spring of 2007, Attorney Miller left the bench to take a position as a partner with a local law firm and went on to conduct several hundred mediations with a highly successful settlement rate. Attorney Miller has also enjoyed serving her clients in private practice in the field of dissolution of marriage, custody, child support, adoption, corporate dissolution, personal injury and general civil litigation matters. On January 1, 2018, Attorney Miller joined Miller Sachs & Hess, PC and remains committed to providing the best in legal services to her clients at reasonable costs.

Attorney Miller has demonstrated her commitment to giving back to the legal community and her local community in many ways. She currently serves as the Chairman of the Continuing Legal Education Commission for the State of Indiana. The Continuing Legal Education Commission is an Indiana Supreme Court agency which oversees the continuing legal education of attorneys, mediators and the judiciary for the State of Indiana. Attorney Miller has also served the legal community as an adjunct professor for approximately ten (10) years at the Valparaiso University School of Law. She has undertaken to teach numerous continuing legal education seminars and classes for attorneys, mediators and the judiciary. She has served as Vice-Chair of the Family Law Section for the American Bar Association. While still a member of the Indiana judiciary, Attorney Miller served on the Board of Managers for the Indiana Judicial Conference and as District Director for the National Association of Women Judges.

Attorney Miller has also demonstrated a long-standing commitment to her family and community including serving on the Advisory Council for her children's school (St. Mary's Catholic Community School, Crown Point). She has served on the Parish Council for her church (Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Winfield). She currently acts as the Chairman for the Grievance Committee for the Lakes of Four Seasons Property Owners Association, a volunteer position. She has been a Girl Scout leader, soccer coach and "team mom" for soccer teams, basketball teams, swim teams, and the like. Attorney Miller's philosophy of giving back to the community and teaching children by example has led to countless hours of volunteerism for sports teams and charities.

Attorney Edward J. Calderaro

Edward J. Calderaro was born in 1966, and grew up on the north side of Chicago. Mr. Calderaro moved to Indiana, married and began an eleven year career in law enforcement. Mr. Calderaro worked for the City of Gary and the Town of Dyer, as a police officer. While working full time, he pursued his education, graduating “with distinction” from Purdue University. Mr. Calderaro obtained a Bachelor Degree in Management, with a double major in Accounting and Finance.

Mr. Calderaro left law enforcement after being accepted to Loyola Law School in Chicago. He received his Juris Doctorate degree and Certificate in Tax Law. Upon graduation, Mr. Calderaro joined the law firm of Miller Sachs & Hess, PC. He focuses his practice in Family Law and Criminal Law.

Mr. Calderaro is available to represent clients throughout Indiana including: Hammond, Gary, East Chicago, Crown Point, Munster, Highland, Griffith, Dyer, St. John, Hobart, Valparaiso, Lake County, Porter County, LaPorte County, Indiana.

Attorney Andrew P. Martin

Andrew Martin was born in Chicago, Illinois and lived in the Chicago suburbs his entire life. Mr. Martin lived in Schaumburg, Naperville and Plainfield. Mr. Martin graduated from Purdue University in 2005 with dual degrees in Economics and Political Science. In 2008, Mr. Martin received a Juris Doctor degree from Valparaiso University School of Law. Mr. Martin is admitted to practice in the United States District Court, Northern District of Indiana and the Indiana Supreme Court of Indiana. Mr. Martin’s practice is focused primarily on Family Law, Personal Injury, Criminal Defense and Real Estate. Mr. Martin enjoys baseball, football and golf.

Mr. Martin is available to represent clients throughout Indiana including: Hammond, Gary, East Chicago, Crown Point, Munster, Highland, Griffith, Dyer, St. John, Hobart, Valparaiso, Lake County, Porter County, LaPorte County, Jasper County and Newton County, Indiana.

Attorney Thomas E. Rucinski

Thomas Rucinski was born in Hammond, Indiana in 1949, graduated from Bishop Noll Institute, obtained a B.S. from Indiana University Business School and graduated from Valparaiso University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate degree in 1974.

As of January 1, 2018, Mr. Rucinski has changed his status with the firm to "of counsel". He continues to consult on matters relating to the firm.

Mr. Rucinski began his legal career as a Law Clerk with the law firm in 1972. Mr. Rucinski has been with the firm in some capacity ever since. Mr. Rucinski has been involved in numerous types of cases, including family law, personal injury and criminal cases. He's obtained favorable recoveries for clients against local and state governments, corporations, doctors and dentists. As a licensed pilot, his knowledge of the Federal Aviation Agency and the National Transportation Safety Board provides him with additional tools with which to handle aviation related matters.

Mr. Rucinski focused a significant portion of his time in the area of family law. His philosophy in representing divorce clients was to amicably reach a settlement on all issues without time consuming and costly litigation. However, there are times when, for a variety of reasons, settlement is impossible. In these cases, Mr. Rucinski recognized that vigorous representation is the only alternative. In the l 970's, as lead attorney, he was filing an average of 50 new divorce cases per year. Although he stopped keeping track of new divorce filings, he estimates he represented over 1,000 different spouses or ex-spouses in family-related matters. Three of his cases set legal precedent in Indiana, see: In Re Buehler, which deals with the issue of voluntary underemployment; In Re Gnerlich, which deals with disability payments being included in the marital estate and therefore a divisible asset; and Baxendale v. Raich, which deals with the relocation of an eleven year old child from Northwest Indiana to Minneapolis. Mr. Rucinski has an admirable Appellate being successful in the following cases: Willsey v. People; Terpstra v. Terpstra; Milligan v. Milligan; and Clark v. State of Indiana.

Mr. Rucinski has represented clients in divorce cases throughout Indiana, including: Hammond, Gary, East Chicago, Crown Point, Munster, Highland, Dyer, St. John, Hobart, Valparaiso, Kentland, Rensselaer and Michigan City.

Mr. Rucinski is proud of his record mediating cases in the filed of family law and remains available to assist couples and their counsel with mediating their disputes.

Mr. Rucinski is honored that he received statewide recognition as the 2014 Family Law Lawyer of the Year for the South Bend Metropolitan Area including Lake and Porter Counties. Mr. Rucinski was given a Martindale-Hubbel ®AV® rating from his peers. He has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers® in America 2008 (Copyright 2007 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, S.C.) and every subsequent year in the field of Family Law. Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States. In addition, Tom is equally proud that he has also earned the SuperLawyers® (Registered trademark of Key Professional Media, Inc.) designation awarded by Law & Politics and has been named in the SuperLawyers® magazine.

Attorney Kerry Ann Pangere

Ms. Pangere was born and raised in Northwest Indiana and is a 1990 graduate of Purdue University where she received her B.A. in Communications with a concentration in English and Psychology. Prior to attending law school, she spent six years in sales and advertising. Ms. Pangere received her J.D. degree, cum laude with honors, from Valparaiso University School of Law in 1999. Ms. Pangere has over 24 years of litigation experience in Family Law and is licensed to practice in all Indiana state courts and the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana.

Ms. Pangere is a former Referee Judge having served as a judicial officer in the Lake Circuit Court from January 2020 through January 2022 where she presided over a vast array of civil matters including divorce, child support, custody, personal injury, commercial collections, and protective orders. Ms. Pangere served as an adjunct professor of law at Valparaiso University School of Law teaching from 2006 through 2017.

Ms. Pangere continues to concentrate her practice in Family Law (divorce, adoption, child support, paternity, emancipation, and custody) and Estate Planning. Ms. Pangere represents her clients with compassion while having the skill, experience, and knowledge of the law. Balancing the client’s needs and wants with the law is what makes Family and Estate Law so unique. Ms. Pangere attempts to tailor her representation to the unique set of facts of each and every client.

Ms. Pangere is a Certified Guardian Ad Litem representing the best interest of children who at times are caught in the midst of their parents’ disputes. Ms. Pangere is a member of the Indiana and Lake County Bar Associations as well as The Women’s Bar Association.

Having raised 3 kids, plus the honor of 2 bonus kids I have 1 more to go until the nest is officially empty! I enjoy being a grandparent and dog Mom to my pack of 3 rowdy Goldendoodles (check out the pic!), I've got my hands full!

Growing up in a family where law runs in the blood - both my dad and sis are lawyers - legal lingo feels like second nature. But when I'm not buried in case files, you'll catch me unwinding with some camping, jetting off on adventures, or diving into a good read.

Attorney Kimberly L. Roethler

Attorney Kimberly L. Roethler counsels on family law, real estate, property, small claims, general civil law, landlord and tenant rights, criminal defense, and collection matters. Attorney Roethler advises in many areas of the law and strives to represent clients with compassion and diligence. She realizes the issues that her clients may face during their legal matters and understands the importance of adequate guidance and representation.

Kimberly attended undergraduate school at Indiana University where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree. She then went on to obtain her Juris Doctorate from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in Bloomington, Indiana.

Since graduating, Attorney Roethler has gained years of legal experience and has maintained her certifications and licenses by actively attending legal courses and conferences to stay up to date with the changes in the law. She is passionate about the law and providing help to all of her clients. Kimberly firmly believes effective communication is key in her legal representation and, ultimately, shared decision-making.

Attorney Roethler is admitted to practice law before the Indiana Supreme Court, the Northern District of Indiana, the Northern District of Indiana Bankruptcy Court, and the Indiana Worker’s Compensation Board. She is a member of the Lake County Bar Association, Indiana State Bar Association, Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors, and St. John-Dyer Chamber of Commerce. She is also a licensed Broker REALTOR® and can competently handle all real estate matters.