May 26—ANDERSON — Andrew Hanna, the chief deputy in the Madison County Prosecutor's Office, has received the "Up and Coming Lawyer" Award.

The award is presented by Indiana Lawyer magazine. Hanna was nominated for the honor by Madison Circuit Court Division 6 Judge Mark Dudley.

Letters of support were submitted by Judge Margret Robb of the Indiana Court of Appeals, Madison Circuit Court 1 Judge Angela Warner Sims, Prosecutor Rodney Cummings, Chief Public Defender Bryan Williams, Anderson Police Chief Mike Lee and Betsy Baxter, director of victim services in the prosecutor's office.

'I'm honored and grateful, but the support of folks that I admire and respect certainly means more to me than any award," Hanna said.

He is a graduate of the Indiana University law school, served as a judicial law clerk for Robb for two years, served as a deputy prosecutor in Madison County for two years and is currently the chief deputy in the Prosecutor's office.

"The honor was very much deserved," Cummings said. "Andrew performs at a high level and is respecting by prosecutors around the state. People pay attention to what he's doing."

Cummings said Hanna has been instrumental in the technological advances made in the prosecutor's office.

"Smart and talented individuals fill the legal field," Dudley wrote in his nominating letter. "Andrew Hanna shines within this crowded field of smart and talented people."

Judge Sims wrote that Hanna's work ethic is unmatched, and his desire for improvement in the criminal justice system is untiring.

"Andrew is one of the most driven and visionary lawyers I have known," she wrote. "When most are leaving the courthouse at the end of the work day you can always count on Andrew's car still being in the parking lot."

Sims said Hanna has restructured the prosecutor's office by creating specialties like the high-tech crime unit, sex crime deputies and complex litigation deputies.

Judge Robb wrote that during the interview process to become her law clerk, Hanna was confident, eager to learn and showed a commitment to becoming a great lawyer.

"I have equally watched with almost a parent's pride as he has taken on new challenges and met them as I knew he would," she wrote. "He is personally competitive because he wants to do his best."

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.