Ladene I. Mendoza

Ladene focuses primarily on defending product liability and toxic tort matters for manufacturers, distributors and sellers of consumer products, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, particularly in mass tort and multi-district litigation in various jurisdictions around the country.

Her experiences include managing cases with high potential damages with several plaintiffs and significant risks to product lines. Through this work, she has deep experience performing factual investigations and efficient discovery in preparation for trial and case resolution, drafting dispositive motions, and taking fact witness, party, and expert depositions.

As a proud Mexican-American, Ladene is co-chair of BTLatinx, Barnes & Thornburg's Hispanic and Latino talent resource group and is a member of the firm's Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Ladene is dedicated to supporting and creating initiatives and programs that create opportunity for everyone.

Prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg full-time, Ladene was a summer associate in the firm's Indianapolis office. She also gained substantial legal experience as an extern for the in-house corporate counsel of Eli Lilly and Company. Previously, she was as an intern for the Marion County Prosecutor's Office and as a summer law clerk in the Office of the Indiana Attorney General.

During law school, Ladene was the president of the Hispanic Law Society; a research assistant to Professor Frank Sullivan, Jr., a retired Indiana Supreme Court Justice; an ambassador for the Office of Admissions; and a mentor in the IU-McKinney mentor program. As a first-generation American and college student, Ladene is passionate about mentoring and speaking to minority students about education.