TyJuan L. Garrett, Indianapolis, Eleventh District, is a senior attorney and tax practice group leader with Plunkett Cooney. Previously, TyJuan was a senior tax associate at KPMG and a hearing officer pro tem at the Indiana Department of Revenue.

He is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association. He earned a B.A. from Truman State University, a J.D. from Drake University School of Law and an LL.M. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. TyJuan’s community activities include the Indiana Guide Right Foundation, USTA – Central Indiana Tennis Association and the Indianapolis Association of Black Journalists (board member). TyJuan was born in Talladega, Ala.

Professional enjoyment: The thing I enjoy the most about the legal profession is working with clients to find solutions to their problems.

Your inspiration: The thing that inspired me to become a lawyer was the law being viewed as a noble profession.

Why bar association involvement: Involvement in the bar association is important to me because it allows me to connect with other attorneys in the state.

If not a lawyer: I would be a surgeon.

Fav hobbies: I enjoy jogging. Fav book: My favorite book is All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren.

Fav vacation spot: Mallorca Island, Spain.

Fav food or restaurant: My favorite food is steak and pot roast, and my favorite restaurant is Iowa Beef Steakhouse.

Top of my bucket list: to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Angka E. Hinshaw, Indianapolis, Eleventh District, is the immigration supervisor with the Marion County Public Defender Agency. Previously, she was outreach director at Muncie Boys & Girls Club and a writing tutor at Ball State University. Angka is a graduate of Ball State University and Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. She was born in Detroit, Mich.

Legal memberships include Indianapolis, Marion County and Indiana State (Leadership Development Academy Class III graduate) bar associations and American Immigration Lawyers Association. Angka is a volunteer with the Judges & Lawyers Assistance Program; Happy Hollow Children’s Camp (chair, Development Committee) and Indiana Bar Foundation (competition judge, “We the People” program).

Professional enjoyment: using the law as my sword to navigate the world while helping the most vulnerable and those that experienced unfairness and injustice

Your inspiration: I was inspired by an unfortunate experience of unfairness. When I was in high school, I was a track athlete. I received college recruitment letters from many universities. However, when I was a senior, my high school coach withheld my recruitment letters because I refused to run while injured. I remember calling local attorneys, asking for help, but no one took me seriously or thought it was a big deal. Granted, I was a teenager. Nevertheless, at 17, the experience left me hurt, and I vowed to become an attorney and help others in difficult situations.

Why bar association involvement: Involvement in your bar association is a valuable opportunity to meet and support other attorneys; involvement also provides members immediate access to knowledge via professional contacts, webinars and CLEs. I’ve met many good friends outside of my practice area through my bar association membership.

If not a lawyer: I would be a school psychologist in a public elementary school.

Fav hobbies: Many people may not know that I enjoy sewing and quilting. In the past, I’ve quilted baby blankets for my sons, crafted a leather coin pouch and silk necktie for my husband, made a reversible tote bag and more. I love using my mechanical sewing machine and my hands to make goods for my loved ones to cherish. I also enjoy learning Spanish, running, making birthday cakes and antiquing.

Fav book: the Bible.

Fav vacation spot: That’s a hard decision – Vienna, Austria and Zurich, Switzerland.

Fav food or restaurant: homemade spicy chili (from my kitchen)!

Top of my bucket list: castle tour of the British Isles.

J. Todd Spurgeon, New Albany, Immediate Past President, is a partner at Kightlinger & Gray in the firm’s New Albany office. He is a member of the Floyd County, Indiana State (district representative, Board of Governors, 2012-14; chair, Young Lawyers Section, 2008-09; member of various other committees) and American (member, House of Delegates, 2005-08, 2015-2019; member, Litigation Section) bar associations. He is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Sherman Minton American Inn of Court. In his community, Todd is active with the Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana (board of directors) and the New Albany Lions Club. He received his A.B. from Wabash College in 1996 and his J.D. from the I.U. Maurer School of Law in 1999. He was born in Brownstown, Ind.

Professional enjoyment: There are so many things – the clients and their stories and situations, the attorneys and their personalities and skills, the interaction with juries. Although many of my cases are similar in nature, no two cases are the same, and each presents its own unique set of circumstances to work through.

Your inspiration: After a failed college physics test or two, engineering was out the window. My dad was a probation officer for 30 years, so I spent a lot of time at the courthouse with him and had grown up admiring lawyers and judges I knew in my family along with those I had seen in the community. I felt the legal field gave me the best chance to be in a profession I would enjoy as well as to be able to serve the community as a whole.

Why bar association involvement: I was “drafted” into bar involvement by a mentor of mine, Sam Day. I’m thankful for that each day. The networking, both socially and professionally, is priceless. The knowledge base of members is a wonderful source of practice advice and guidance. Bar involvement also gives me the unique opportunity to see the innumerable great works being done by our members and to meet new and interesting people from all over the state in practice areas I would not otherwise have a chance with which to interact. Through my involvement in the ISBA, I have also seen firsthand how the Association works on behalf of its members to make our jobs easier and the profession better, and how the Association strives to serve and educate the public about the legal profession and legal issues facing society.

If not a lawyer: No doubt, a funeral director – my family has been in the business for more than 100 years.

Fav hobbies: spending time on the lake, running, following my children’s endeavors.

Fav book or author and current reading: Admittedly, I don’t read much apart from work, but I really enjoyed Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose.

Fav vacation spot: Disney World or the Florida Keys.

Fav food or restaurant: Big Boy.

Top of my bucket list: I don’t really have a bucket list, but I’ve always wanted to take a few weeks for an RV trip out West through the national parks.

Michael J. Jasaitis, Crown Point, Chair-Elect, House of Delegates, is a partner at Austgen Kuiper Jasaitis based in Crown Point. He is a graduate of Valparaiso University and Valparaiso University School of Law. Michael is a member of the Lake County (past president), Indiana State (past chair, Young Lawyers Section, and former district representative and secretary, Board of Governors) and American bar associations. He is a member of the Calumet American Inn of Court. Michael serves on the executive committee and is a member of the Lake Area United Way Board of Directors (chair-elect for 2020), and he is a youth soccer coach. He was born in East Chicago.

Professional enjoyment: The legal profession provides us the opportunity to have an impact on a wide range of people in a challenging, yet gratifying, environment.

Your inspiration: It had been a thought since middle school upon meeting a lawyer during a career day. After getting an opportunity to test the waters, defending my hallmates in a college disciplinary proceeding (for an alleged late-night, Nintendo Tecmo Bowl noise violation), I got the urge to explore the profession in greater detail. Thereafter, the practice of law truly appeared to be a vocation where one could make a significant difference in a variety of ways, whether inside or outside of the courtroom.

Why bar association involvement: It gives us the ability to associate with like-minded individuals and to collaborate with other legal professionals. This leads to fantastic networking opportunities with lawyers, judges and legislators, which benefit everyone involved (as well as the clients we represent). Furthermore, our bar association provides an environment for attorneys of all experience levels to hone and improve their legal acumen through particular section involvement.

If not a lawyer: a stand-up comedian or educator

Fav hobbies: soccer (both coaching and playing).

Fav book or author and current reading: Chase the Lion … in between Goosebumps, Dr. Seuss, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and N.E.3d Reporter.

Fav vacation spot: on the balcony of a cruise ship in the Caribbean with my family.

Fav food or restaurant: corn on the cob, In-N-Out Burger restaurant or any good sushi joint.

Top of your bucket list: watching my three children become difference-makers.