Angelica Schultis leads family, disability and veterans advocacy in Northwest Indiana

Angelica Schultis, managing partner at Blachly, Tabor, Bozik & Hartman in Valparaiso, has spent more than 17 years handling family law, Social Security disability and veterans disability cases. Her profile highlights her legal leadership, community roles and concern about growing access-to-justice gaps in Northwest Indiana.

Why it matters: - Angelica Schultis works in three areas where people often face high-stakes, time-sensitive problems: family law, Social Security disability and veterans disability. - Her leadership matters in Northwest Indiana, where she says the region has a shortage of lawyers and fewer new attorneys entering the market. - Schultis also focuses on access to justice for families, veterans and people with disabilities.

What happened: - Influential Women featured Schultis, an attorney and managing partner at Blachly, Tabor, Bozik & Hartman, LLC in Valparaiso, Indiana. - Schultis has practiced law for more than 17 years. - She serves as the firm’s first female partner while continuing to represent clients directly. - Her work includes negotiations, hearings and court proceedings in disability benefits cases, family matters and veterans’ rights.

The details: - Schultis is VA-accredited, a certified family law mediator and a Guardian ad Litem. - She built her legal career after first earning a paralegal certificate and working as both a paralegal and a legal risk administrator. - She earned an undergraduate degree from Indiana University South Bend and a Juris Doctor from Valparaiso University School of Law. - Her recognition includes multiple Martindale-Hubbell Client Champion Platinum Awards and a place among America’s Most Honored Lawyers. - Her professional memberships include the Indiana State Bar Association, Porter County Bar Association, Lake County Bar Association, the American Legion and the National Organization of Veterans Advocates. - Schultis serves on the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce board and as president of the board of directors for Family House, Inc., a nonprofit that provides supervised parenting time services. - She also says she is committed to mentoring future legal leaders and improving access to justice. - A full profile is available through Influential Women.

Between the lines: - Schultis frames her work around clients facing vulnerable moments, including disability claims that can determine basic financial stability and family disputes that can shape children’s long-term outcomes. - Her comments on AI point to a mixed shift in legal services: the technology can help lawyers, but more unrepresented people are also turning to it instead of hiring counsel. - She describes a regional attorney pipeline problem tied in part to the closure of Valparaiso University School of Law, which she says has left Northwest Indiana with a legal desert.

What's next: - Schultis says young women considering law should enter the field only if they genuinely love practicing it and are prepared for long hours and student debt. - She also advises future lawyers to stay open to practice areas they may not have initially expected to enjoy. - Her ongoing focus remains on helping families, veterans and disability claimants navigate complex legal processes across Northwest Indiana.

The bottom line: - Schultis combines legal practice, leadership and community service in a region where access to experienced counsel is increasingly hard to find.