When Joshua Trockman considers his trajectory to becoming a lawyer, one moment stands out: At nine years old, he saw his father, Wayne, donning a robe for the first time as a Vanderburgh County Superior Court Judge and thought “he looked like a superhero,” Joshua says.
The younger Trockman was named a partner at Kahn, Dees, Donovan & Kahn LLP in January after nine years of practice. Joshua, with his focus on fields such as estate planning, business law, real estate, and municipal law, diverts from the law practiced by his father and grandfather, Howard: The elder Trockmans were general practitioners and worked alongside each other for 18 years at Newman, Trockman, Lloyd, Flynn & Rheinlander. Wayne eventually became an assistant attorney for the city in 1992, before being appointed to the bench in 1999, where he has handled felony criminal matters, civil cases, and family law matters. “I became interested in law by following his work,” Wayne says about his father. “I just wanted to be like him: patient, creative. His mind was always looking for solutions to problems.”
One example: Howard’s career took him to Da Nang, South Vietnam, during the Vietnam War to defend Thomas Boyd, an Evansville Marine accused of participating in the murder of 16 civilians in Son Thang. Boyd’s mother raised him and his four siblings by herself and could not afford a lawyer, but that did not stop Howard from flying halfway around the world to defend Boyd, who was found not guilty. “He was such a fierce advocate,” Wayne says of his father, who passed away in 2001. “If he made his mind up to take a case … he would throw himself into it. Everyone looked to him. He was a natural leader and fantastic mentor for me.”
“Growing up, my grandfather and father did not teach me the technical aspects of lawyering — it was more about judgment, discipline, service, and accountability. … In this profession, credibility compounds over decades,” Joshua says. Howard was honored with the James Bethel Gresham Freedom Award in 2000 in recognition of his impressive legal career, an award his son received four years later. State Sen. Vaneta Becker knew Howard when he represented her late husband, Ray. Becker says Howard was “very down to earth.” When Ray died in 1975, he helped her through it. “Losing Ray was tough, and he was there to support me and help me, and he did,” she says.
Becker also was familiar with Wayne’s work through the Vanderburgh County Treatment Court, which he founded in 2000 to help provide addicts with treatment instead of prison time. He often invited state and local legislators to witness the process. “He’s really very helpful in showing the difference in recidivism,” Becker says. “The Trockmans are very civic-minded and have done a lot in our community to improve the lives of others.” Early in Joshua’s career, he made weekly visits to the Civic Center Complex for smaller litigation matters and often heard about his father’s work with the treatment court. People frequently asked if he was related to Wayne. “Is your dad the judge?” Joshua recalls them saying. “He saved my life.” “I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t done what he did.” The experience made him proud to continue his family’s legal legacy.
“It makes me very proud that Josh has been successful,” Wayne says. “I hope I had a little something to do with his desire to practice and be the best he can be.”
