Candidate worked in ministry before law

By John Kline
THE GOSHEN NEWS

Fri, May 16 2008

— A Nappanee man who worked in ministry before attending law school is seeking the Republican nomination for Elkhart County Superior Court 5 judge.
Bruce A. Wells is one of five candidates seeking the GOP nomination to eventually replace judge James W. Rieckhoff, who will be retiring at the end of his current term.
“I’m interested in serving the community, and when I look at my old career and the variety of things that I do, I think that’s a common theme,” Wells said of his reasons for pursuing the Superior Court 5 position. “Right now I’m serving in the prosecutor’s office, but I think my experience prepares me well to be judge in Superior Court 5.
A 1996 graduate of Notre Dame Law School, Wells began his legal career working with the Notre Dame Legal Aid Clinic teaching mediation and supervising students in mediating disputes, especially through small-claims court in St. Joseph County.
“I went out and worked for the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s office for four years, the first in child support, and then later on in community prosecution where I was posted out of the North West side of town.
“I had criminal cases that came from out of those neighborhoods,” Wells said.
Following his four years in St. Joseph County, Wells relocated to Elkhart County to work under newly-elected Prosecutor Curtis T. Hill Jr., where he has remained for the past five years.
“My first year I was part-time with the Elkhart County prosecutor’s office doing child support, and also worked part time for a couple of civil attorneys over in South Bend,” Wells said. “Part way through that year, Mr. Hill also gave me a new assignment to assist in Superior Court 1 and some domestic battery cases, so I got to do some bench trials and a jury trial. And then I went full time with child support before moving over to the juvenile division this year.”
Before attending law school, Wells worked full time in ministry for 10 years, getting his start at Princeton Seminary in the early 1980s.
“I served with a church in Ohio and then with the First Presbyterian Church here in Nappanee,” Wells said. “I enjoyed that very much, and I think it just gave me a lot of experience understanding people, working with people, helping them through difficult situations, and developing good communication skills.
“Those are all things I think would apply well to a judicial position,” he said.
According to Wells, the top qualities that any candidate for judge must possess are a combination of fairness and impartiality.
“A judge has to apply the law both fairly and impartially, and that’s a requirement for anyone who takes that position,” Wells said. “What I think I bring to the position is my character, which helps me to be able to look at a situation and apply the law with wisdom and understanding of people and concern for applying the law appropriately.
“I’ve worked in ministry and teaching as well as the law, so I think I have both the legal experience and the personal experience that prepares me for this position,” he said.
When asked if there is anything he would like to see changed about the position if he is elected, Wells noted a desire to see increased cooperation and communication between all Elkhart County judges.
“I think it would be very important for the judges to work together and communicate together in terms of helping plan for the operation of the courts and for their to be good communication between all the different groups that are involved in the legal system, whether it’s law enforcement, or probation, or the many programs that support the courts,” Wells said. “I’d certainly like to see that continue.”
In the end, however, Wells said that it is not so much about what he wants for the position, but what he feels is best for the people who will be served by the position.
“I think that a position like that of a judge is something that belongs to the people. It is for the benefit of the people, so whoever is elected, it is a privilege to be elected. It is not anyone’s personal possession,” Wells said. “The point of it is to serve the people, it really is, and that is the heart and the intent that I bring to it, and I hope I do have the opportunity to serve.”
Wells, a father of two, lives in Nappanee with his wife of 28 years, Linda.