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Rafe
Paul D. Refior
Warsaw, Indiana Office:
347
N. Buffalo St Warsaw,
IN 46580*
Tel:
574-269-6649
Fax: 574-269-7487
Email:
paul@refior.com
Web Site:
www.refior.com
Lafayette, Indiana
Office:
5901 E 200 N
(at 600E), Lafayette IN 47905
765-589-3880
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CAREER SUMMARY
Rafe
is a man who enjoys his life, his family, his ministries and his work. A diligent and experienced attorney with
extensive estate planning, litigation, trust management, probate,
business/corporate, and real estate experience.
A disciplined man of convictions, determined to achieve a high standard
of excellence and to minister to the legal, personal and spiritual needs of
clients. A balanced and joyful lifestyle
and a successful family man. Admitted to
practice in Indiana, Florida,
Iowa and Wyoming.
By
way of summary, I started my legal career in 1975 as a Navy JAG. Then I practiced a couple of years in Pinedale, Wyoming (1978-80)
before a year’s sabbatical in Japan
(1980-81). In 1981 I established Refior
Law Office. Since then I was admitted to
practice in Florida (2001), I opened Refior Law Office – Lafayette (2006), and
now I reside and practice in both Warsaw and Lafayette, while also maintaining
legal activity in Florida.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
November
1981 to the present – Refior Law Office. Warsaw and Lafayette, Indiana
My
law practice at Warsaw and Lafayette,
Indiana (and Florida) is limited to litigation, estate
planning, probate, trust administration, business/commercial/corporate related
matters, and real estate. Clients
include manufacturing companies, and numerous businesses and individuals.
The
history of my practice is noteworthy.
During our missionary work in Japan in 1980-1981, with all credit
to the Lord, we saw the Lord bring much fruit for the Lord, but our missionary
service exhausted all of our financial resources. In November 1981, we did a very unlikely
thing. Even though we did not have any clients,
or even own a car or any law office equipment, furniture or books, we moved to Warsaw, Indiana
to “hang a shingle” and begin solo law practice. Over the years the law practice grew and
prospered. In 2001 I was admitted to
practice in Florida. In 2006 I opened my branch office in Lafayette, Indiana. In a typical week I am in Warsaw
Monday through Thursday, and in Lafayette,
Friday through Sunday. I travel to Florida as necessary to take care of Florida clients and legal matters.
June
1981 to October 1981 – Special Assignment Deputy Prosecutor, Ottumwa, Iowa.
Upon
our return from Japan, I
turned down an offer to return to the law firm in Wyoming
because we wanted to move back to the Midwest. My wife, Pam, was a native Hoosier so we
decided to settle in Indiana. I faced a minimum of four months for my
application for admission to be processed, and I needed to provide for my
family in the interim. A law school
friend of mine, who was aware of the fact that I had considerable jury trial
experience, was the prosecuting attorney in Ottumwa, Iowa. When he learned that I would be available, he
asked if he could hire me for a short time to prosecute several criminal jury
trials for him. During that period of
time, I worked in Ottumwa during the week and
commuted 7 hours each way to Kokomo,
Indiana, on weekends to be with
my family.
1980
to 1981 – The Evangelical Alliance Mission, Takamatsu,
JAPAN.
We
accepted the invitation from career missionaries Ralph and Stella Cox to fill
in for them as best we could while they would be back in the United States for one year of
furlough. When we arrived in Japan, a different career missionary declared,
“We appreciate your decision and sacrifice to come to Japan, but because you do not know
the language, and you have not been to seminary, and you do not know Japanese
culture, your time here will not be productive or fruitful … but thanks for
coming anyway.” Despite such lack of
encouragement, we knew why we were there and we continued to expect significant
results and fruit. Our duties at the
beginning were to teach English conversation classes and assist at some small
Japanese churches. Things developed
rapidly to the point that we were having multiple Bible studies and activities
in our home, and by the time we left I was preaching four times each Sunday in
Japanese churches, with the assistance of an interpreter. I presently serve on the International Board
of Directors of TEAM.
1978
to 1980 – Mason & Refior, P.C., Pinedale,
Wyoming.
At
the time I completed my military service, I turned down a number of job offers
from large and medium-sized law firms to join Gerald Mason’s firm in beautiful Wyoming. Gerald was an outstanding attorney (Gerald
graduated to Heaven in 2005). At a later
date I became a 50% stockholder of the busy trial law firm. Although Pinedale is nestled at the foot of
the spectacular Windriver Mountain Range of the Rocky Mountains, both of us
attorneys had a pilot’s license and there were two airplanes, which allowed for
us to engage in representation and cases throughout Wyoming
and northern Colorado. Legal work included significant water rights
cases and the legal aspects of the oil and natural gas industries. While practicing law in Pinedale, a very
unusual invitation was received to undertake missionary work in Japan. Even though it otherwise seemed like a
strange thing to do, after significant prayer, a decision was made that the
Lord was indeed leading us to take a sabbatical from the law practice and to
accept the one-year assignment in Japan.
1974
to 1978 – United States
Navy, Judge Advocate General Corps.
In
1974 I trained in Newport, R.I.
In 1975 I attended Naval Justice School
again in Newport, R.I.,
and then I proceeded with orders to Norfolk. As a Navy JAG Officer I was stationed at the
Naval Legal Services Office, Naval Station, Norfolk, Virginia. I was engaged in extensive trial work in
criminal cases as a prosecutor and as a defense counsel, including murder,
rape, armed robbery, bank robbery, counterfeiting, and other serious felony
cases. I maintained a very high caseload
and achieved regular success in jury trials.
The experience also provided outstanding training as a Naval Officer,
and in leading and coordinating subordinate attorneys and staff. [Received National Defense Service Ribbon and
Navy Commendation Medal; honorably discharged].
EDUCATION
Bachelor
of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, major in
Psychology, minor in Political Science; Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant,
Iowa; 1972
Juris
Doctor, With Honors; University
of Iowa College of
Law, Iowa City, Iowa;
1975 (President of the Iowa
Student Bar Association, 1974-1975.
Certificate;
Naval Justice School,
Newport, Rhode
Island; 1975.
Many
continuing legal education courses; 1975 to present.
PROFESSIONAL
Admitted to practice in the courts
of the following:
·
State Courts of Indiana – 1981
·
State Courts of Florida – 2001
·
State Courts of Iowa – 1975
·
State Courts of Wyoming – 1978
·
United
States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
– 1975
·
U.S.
District Court, Southern District of Florida – 2004
·
U.S.
District Court for the Middle District of Florida - 2005
·
U.S.
District Court for the District of Wyoming – 1978
·
U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of Indiana – 1982
·
U.S.
District Court for the Southern District of Indiana – 1997
·
U.S.
District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan – 1990
·
United
States Tax Court – 1987
·
United
States Court of Appeals for the 7th
Circuit – 1992
·
United
States Court of Appeals for the 11th
Circuit - 2006
·
The Supreme Court of the United States – 1997
ASSOCIATIONS
·
National Lawyers Association
·
Indiana State Bar Association
·
The Florida Bar
·
Iowa State Bar Association
·
Wyoming State Bar Association
·
Kosciusko County Bar Association
·
Tippecanoe County Bar Association
PERSONAL
·
Age 58
·
Gloriously married to Pam for 38 years
·
Two daughters, Nikki Lambeth (age 37, married to
Jonathan with three sons) and Laura White (age 32, married to Brian with two
daughters and twin sons.)
·
Members of Faith
Baptist Church,
Lafayette, Indiana.
·
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lakeland
Child Evangelism Ministries, Winona Lake, Indiana, a nonprofit corporation with
ministries in the local area, as well as significant worldwide involvement
through the production and development of evangelistic action films and videos
which are translated into multiple languages for distribution and evangelistic
use throughout the world.
·
Member of the International Board of Directors
of The Evangelical Alliance Mission
(TEAM), Wheaton, Illinois. A major global mission board.
·
Author of It’s Your CHOICE – A Happy &
God-honoring Marriage, and RAFEHAND
– A System for Speedwriting, and some published articles.
·
An avid Iowa Hawkeyes fan …. Go Hawks!
·
Rafe enjoys loving his gorgeous and outstanding
wife Pam, being a happy and involved grandpa, family travel, family activities,
sports of all kinds, woodworking, writing (e.g., novels, articles, books on
Christian topics, children’s stories), kayaking, bicycling, woodcarving, art
and graphics, walking the beach, studying, meditating and applying the Bible,
speaking at seminars and retreats, BowFlex-ing and weightlifting.
(May 2008)