Transportation-focused law firm with offices in 10 US metro areas, advising motor carriers, brokers, shippers and logistics companies on regulatory, contract, claims and litigation matters.
Services
Who it serves
Overview
Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, P.C. calls itself "The Transportation Law Firm." Its About page describes it as the only full-service, multi-office law firm in the country dedicated to transportation and related industries, and its principal office is in Indianapolis. The firm says it began as a regulatory law firm in the 1970s and has grown to more than 35 practice groups.
The firm states that it serves more than 5,000 transportation-related clients, including motor carriers, private carriers, shippers, brokers, logistics companies and trucking insurers, and that its attorneys have served the transportation industry for over six decades. It publishes The Transportation Brief, a quarterly legal newsletter, along with news and analysis on its website.
For a FreightPicks reader, the main point is that this is a firm built around trucking and logistics rather than a general firm with a transportation group. Most of its practice areas are framed in freight terms.
Compare with other Transportation Attorneys providers: Benesch, Taylor Nelson Slattery Bernard PL and Holland & Knight, or see all Transportation Attorneys.
Services
Scopelitis groups its work into business advice, regulatory, litigation and transactional services, with 37 named practice areas. Freight-specific areas include Authorities, Permits and Accounts; Brokerage and Non-Asset Logistics; Cargo Claims and Freight Disputes; DOT Safety; Transportation Contracts; Transportation of Hazardous Materials; Transportation Taxation; Titling and Vehicle Registration; Warehouse and Logistics; Air and Ocean Logistics; and International and Cross-Border Transportation and Logistics.
On the people side, it lists Independent Contractor Counseling, Alternative Staffing Arrangements and Driver Leasing, Labor and Employment, Employment Tax, Employee Benefits and Workers' Compensation. On the dispute side, it lists Highway Accident, Wrongful Death and Personal Injury Defense; Class Action Defense and Complex Litigation; Litigation of Business Disputes; Insurance Coverage Disputes; Appellate Practice; and Arbitration Counseling. Business areas include Mergers and Acquisitions, Corporate Structuring and Strategy, Commercial and Bankruptcy, Insurance and Risk Management, Real Estate and Emerging Technologies.
Its brokerage page describes work for full and less-than-truckload brokers, surface freight forwarders, transportation management providers and last-mile arrangers. Listed services include drafting default terms of service, negotiating customer and carrier agreements, resolving freight charge disputes, handling cargo loss, damage and delay claims, addressing double brokerage, carrier selection and vetting strategies, and defending highway accident claims.
Who it is for
The firm's client list, as it describes it, covers almost every part of the freight market: asset-based motor carriers, private fleets, freight brokers and other non-asset logistics providers, shippers and the insurers that write trucking risks. Its practice list makes it a fit for issues like setting up or restructuring a brokerage, writing a broker-carrier or shipper-broker contract, defending a cargo claim, building an independent contractor program, responding to an FMCSA compliance review or defending a highway accident lawsuit.
Because it handles both day-to-day counseling and large litigation, it can work for a small broker that needs a solid contract package or for a large carrier with ongoing regulatory and litigation needs. Readers with a single small payment dispute may want to ask about the cost of a matter before engaging.
How working with them works
Scopelitis does not publish fees or a standard engagement process on its website. Like most law firms, it would typically start with a conflict check and an engagement letter that sets the scope and billing terms for the matter. The firm's contact page lists offices in Chicago, Cincinnati (Mason, Ohio), Dallas/Fort Worth (Fort Worth), Detroit (Troy, Michigan), Indianapolis, Irvine, Los Angeles (Pasadena), Milwaukee, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. (Arlington, Virginia), so a reader can contact the office closest to them.
Its attorney directory lists lawyers by name and practice, which is useful for finding someone who works in the exact area you need, such as brokerage contracts or DOT safety. The quarterly Transportation Brief and the news section give a sense of the firm's current focus before you call.
Questions to ask before you sign
Do you represent anyone on the other side of my matter? A firm with thousands of transportation clients may represent the carrier, broker or shipper you are in a dispute with, so a conflict check comes first.
Who will actually handle my work, and which office are they in? Ask for the attorney's experience with your exact issue, for example broker liability, Carmack cargo claims or a conditional safety rating.
How do you bill? Ask whether the work is hourly, flat fee or capped, what the hourly rates are for partners and associates, and whether there is a retainer. For collections and small cargo claims, ask whether the cost makes sense relative to the dollar amount.
Which states are your attorneys licensed in, and will you need local counsel if this goes to court in another state?
Can you review my current contracts and onboarding documents as a package, and what would that cost?
Company background
The firm's About page says it started as a regulatory law firm in the 1970s and identifies Gregory M. Feary as President and Managing Partner. Its principal office is in Indianapolis, and its contact page lists ten office locations across the Midwest, Texas, California and the Washington, D.C. area.
The firm says it now has more than 35 practice groups, more than 5,000 transportation-related clients, and attorneys who have served the industry for over six decades. It does not publish a total attorney count on the pages reviewed. It publishes The Transportation Brief on a quarterly basis.
Sources
Information compiled from public sources. Last verified November 2026. Confirm details directly with the company.
