To All the Sponsors Who Made It Possible

The ISBA has wrapped up some major programs in the past few months – both of which would not have been possible without the support of many ISBA sections and committees.

Class 10 of the Leadership Development Academy graduated in May. 18 attorneys from across the state (and even one member outside it) successfully completed the program, gaining new connections, perspectives, and key leadership skills along the way. This year, the class traveled from Indianapolis to New Harmony, from Muscatatuck to Crown Point. They met with every Supreme Court justice, the governor of Indiana; local judicial, business, and community leaders; as well as established attorneys and ISBA members. They learned from legislative leaders, experienced the first in-person Open Conversations, all on top of exploring the heart of Indiana’s different communities. And all of it was made possible with support from the following ISBA sections:

• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Appellate Practice
• Bankruptcy & Creditor’s Rights
• Business Law
• Construction & Surety Law
• Criminal Justice
• Elder Law
• Employment, Labor & Benefits Law
• Family & Juvenile Law
• General Practice, Solo & Small Firm
• Health Law
• Intellectual Property
• Litigation
• Probate, Trust & Real Property
• Tax Law
• Utility Law
• and Young Lawyers.

The 20^th Annual Solo & Small Firm Conference was also held in June, and was a huge success. From golfing to bowling to spectacular CLE and a pretty memorable cut-out, the 200+ members who attended had a great chance to both network and learn. The GP section awarded the GP Hall of Fame Award to Michael Simmons with Hume Smith Geddes Green & Simmons, as well as honored Justice Steven David for his years of service to the conference.

View photos from the conference >>

Celebrate 20 years >>

And thank you to all the ISBA sections who sponsored a scholarship to the conference and helped make the event possible:

• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights
• Criminal Justice
• Elder Law
• Employment, Labor & Benefits Law
• Family & Juvenile Law
• General Practice, Solo & Small Firm
• Litigation
• Probate, Trust & Real Property
• Young Lawyers

National Awareness: Alternative Dispute Resolution Section to Bring In a National Speaker for Their CLE

Later this September, ADR will be hosting a CLE with Dr. Joshua Weiss, co-founder of the Global Negotiation Initiative at Harvard, a Senior Fellow of the Harvard Negotiation Project, and Director of Bay Path’s Master of Science in Leadership and Negotiation Program. The section has been planning to bring in a national speaker to talk to their members for nearly a year – undergoing a process of researching, studying, and vetting a series of speakers before deciding on Dr. Weiss. His background educating professionals on negotiation, consulting with major companies (including Microsoft and General Motors), and his extensive research (including his work on the Negotiation Tip of the Week podcast, which was downloaded more than 2 million times between 2007 and 2010) made him the go-to choice. He'll be speaking at a CLE on negotiations – for both ADR section members and non-members – in September. More information will be forthcoming.

Restating Values: The Animal Law Section Updates Its Mission Statement

The Animal Law Section voted to update its mission statement last month, reframing its goals so it could be a better resource for the legal community. The original statement focused largely on what animal law meant to the group and to the profession at a large.

The Animal Law Section was formed to generate interest in a new section that relates to or impacts any law related to animals. Animal Law is much broader than ‘animal rights’ or ‘animal welfare’ in that it focuses on animals and their impact on humans as the core of the representation. These laws can include a cross-over to criminal law, trust and estate law, family law, civil litigation and disability law.

The new statement moves the section’s purpose more towards taking action, outlining the types of projects they’ve been involved in this year and what they’re hoping to continue focusing on.

The Animal Law Section focuses on all matters relating to the laws of non-human animals within the State of Indiana and their impact. The Section seeks to be a resource for the legal community and the public by providing continuing education, commenting on proposed legislation, and connecting members across the legal community.

The section will also be hosting a CLE later this month on estate planning with pets. Lisa M. Adler, a partner with Harrison & Moberly, LLP practicing in estate planning, will outline current Indiana law regarding pets (including pet trusts) that you can use to guide your own estate planning or that of your clients. Learn more >>  

If you’re interested in animal law, even if you don’t practice in it, you’re welcome to join the section. They have a lot of projects and goals planned for the year – from CLE and other educational resources to legislative advocacy. You can contact the section liaison, Megan Mance, for more information at mmance@inbar.org.

Disability: Language and the Law – All Facets of Diversity

The Diversity Committee, in partnership with the IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law, created a straight-to-on-demand CLE on ableism. Ableism and disability are often-overlooked aspects of DEI work, but they can still have a large impact on people’s professional and personal lives – even in ways you may not have realized or acknowledged. To shed some light on this area of diversity, Dr. Angélica Guevara, Assistant Professor of Business Law and Ethics at IU Kelley School of Business, recorded a presentation on disability and the way it is currently perceived. She provides advice on language to use surrounding ableism, shares best practices, and discusses how (and why) we should reframe our idea of disability. The committee sourced questions from members beforehand, so Dr. Guevara also spends some time addressing and answering those. Give the recording a listen >>

It’s Back in Person, Baby – 2022 Litigation Symposium

For the first time since 2019, the annual Litigation Section’s Litigation Symposium is being held in person on August 25. The symposium is a collection of CLE the section offers every year on one day. In the past, the sessions have been focused largely on legal writing and analysis – providing tips and tricks for litigators and other attorneys to improve their practice. This year, the section is bringing in Richard Gabriel – an expert trial consultant who’s worked with high-profile cases like O.J. Simpson, Casey Anthony, and Aaron Hernandez. He’ll be leading 5 hrs. CLE, drawing from his experiences and practices and your questions and problem areas, to outline the core principles of persuasion for motions, mediations, opening statements, and closing arguments. Through interactive demonstrations and exercises, he’ll walk attendees through the state of today’s juries, the art of advocacy, how to craft evidence as narratives, the future of the judicial system, how to improve overall trial performance, and how to effectively persuade your legal audiences. It’s bound to be of interest and practical use for any attorney – whether they go to trial or not – as they continue to improve their ability to negotiate, mediate, or settle cases.

Litigation section members and other attendees will also have the chance to more intentionally connect with each other after the program, during a social offered at the end of the day. Register here >>

Pro Bono, Pro Bono, Wherefore Art Thou, Pro Bono?

The Pro Bono Committee has been doing some exciting work on making pro bono accessible to attorneys. Working with members of LDA’s Class 10, the committee is creating and populating a searchable database (utilizing Paladin, of HONY fame) of pro bono opportunities across the state. Once complete, ISBA members and attorneys will be able to find service opportunities by location, practice area, time required, etc., removing the time spent searching for a perfect pro bono project and placing all opportunities in one spot. Meaning attorneys are that much more able to help out in their communities. More information will be coming soon.