Sections Sponsor Student Etiquette Dinners

In the past, ISBA has partnered with all three law schools to offer an etiquette dinner and networking event for law students, where students can both learn proper etiquette skills and connect with Indiana attorneys. After several successful events, Notre Dame Law School asked to partner on an etiquette dinner for all their 1Ls during their orientation week. And with support from various ISBA sections and volunteers, we took on the challenge. Over 150 students attended the event in August, joined by over 20 ISBA volunteers. They learned the ins and outs of etiquette—from which fork to use when, to how to pass bread around a table, and all the other anxiety-inducing questions that come with a first professional networking and dining experience. Students were also able to meet ISBA members, talk about the field, get advice, and learn from the people who were once in their shoes. View photos from the event >>

We couldn’t have had such a successful event without help from all the sections who sponsored and volunteered:

• Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights
• Elder Law Section
• Environmental Law Section
• Family & Juvenile Law Section
• General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section
• Health Law Section
• Litigation Section
• Probate, Trust & Real Property (PTRP) Section
• Utility Law Section
• Young Lawyers Section

Family & Juvenile Law Section Gives Gale M. Phelps Award

The Family Law Section awards the Gale M. Phelps Award to an attorney who has demonstrated exceptional service and contribution to the family law legal community and who has worked diligently to elevate the standard of professionalism in the field. This year, the well-deserved winner was Kris Costa-Sakelaris. Kris graduated from St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, then earned her Juris Doctorate from Valparaiso University in 1992. She has worked as a probation officer and court administrator, a Magistrate with Lake County Superior Court, Civil and Family Decision, and an Executive Director of the Hammond Legal Aid Clinic. She has also served on several nonprofit boards, including the Board of Directors of Haven House (a domestic violence victims’ shelter in Hammond) and the Board of Directors of the Hammond Academy for Science and Technology. Kris was presented the award at a reception in Crown Point this September.

Latino Affairs Committee Sponsors Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration

The Latino Affairs Committee has partnered with the United States District Court, Bankruptcy Court, and Probation Office for the Southern District of Indiana for the sixth annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. The event brings together some of the important Hispanic figures in the state and works to educate the public and Indiana’s legal profession about Hispanic culture and the challenges facing Hispanic communities in Indiana. This year, the keynote speaker is Hon. Mario Garcia, Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, and the first Hispanic judge appointed to the court. Judge Garcia will discuss his family, his professional background, and how his life experiences—and those of his ancestors—led him to the bench. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and learn more about Hispanic representation in Indiana’s bench and bar. Learn more about the program >>

LDA Committee Opens Applications for Class 11

The Leadership Development Academy has opened applications for Class 11 of the program. Applications will be accepted until November 1, 2022.

Open to legal professionals within 5-15 years of practice, LDA prepares the next generation of leaders among Indiana’s legal professionals. The program helps participants identify their skillsets, develop their own leadership strategy, build a network of support, and leave an impact on their community. Class members travel across the state over 5 sessions, meeting government and local leaders, learning about Indiana’s unique needs, and putting their leadership skills to the test. If you or anyone you know may be interested, please visit www.inbar.org/LDA to learn more. If you have any questions, please email Kristin Owens at kowens@inbar.org.

Read Q&A with Andrew Teel (LDA Class 3) on the program >>

Apply for Class 11 >>

MVAC To Present at Battlemind to Home Summit

Military & Veterans’ Affairs Committee members will be presenting at the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University’s Battlemind to Home Summit this November. The summit begins on November 14, with a three-hour CLE that qualifies for mandatory education credits in VA Law as required by the VA Office of General Counsel for acquiring and maintaining VA representative accreditation. MVAC members will be presenting in the summit’s legal track, as well, including topics on evictions, benefits, guardianship, and LGBTQ+ issues impacting military veterans and their families. Learn more about Battlemind to Home >>

Tax Section Awards Scholarship

The Tax Section annually awards a scholarship to a law student intending to practice tax law in the state, in the hopes of facilitating and encouraging students to enter the practice and become active members of the section. This year, they awarded $1,500 to 3L Franklin Hunt-Gonzalez. Franklin is a student at Maurer, who became interested in tax law after taking a research course and working on hypothetical cases. “I adjusted to this type of work more intuitively,” he wrote, “as it felt like I was working for a real client and not breaking down a more abstract academic principle….With the general public’s fear or misunderstanding of many financial issues involving the IRS, I’d like to do my part to help clients walk through what can be an intimidating period of their lives.”

Franklin worked at the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic in Bloomington this summer, and plans to look for permanent placement at a firm following graduation next year. “I am so pleased to see Franklin dive deeper in his pursuit of his tax law interests,” wrote one of his professors in a letter of recommendation for the scholarship. “His course selections, extracurricular activities, and employment experiences are shaping him into a fine young attorney-in-the-making.”

ULS Successfully Hosts In-Person Seminar

The Utility Law Section hosted their annual fall seminar this month and saw a return to pre-COVID attendance numbers. The two-day event took place in Bloomington and focused primarily on connecting section members with each other, providing a reception and ample opportunity for networking and socializing. ULS also brought in high-quality and engaging speakers—including national speaker Stuart Teicher—and made sure the CLE covered timely topics that members were interested in, like legal writing and the ethics of working remotely. In a time where the event world is in constant flux, the seminar showed that in-person events could still be successful, as long as the opportunity to connect and the chance to learn relevant topics are there.

Well-Being Committee Creates Resource Repository

If you’ve ever wanted a one-stop-shop for well-being resources in the legal field, the Well-Being Committee has just granted your wish. As part of their mission to support and inspire a culture shift in the profession, the committee compiled a webpage of important and timely well-being resources for ISBA members. Learn about well-being in general, see what work is being done across the state, get a bird’s eye view of organizations and groups active in the field, and keep on top of key articles, CLE, and events that may help your well-being practice. The committee updates the page monthly, as new articles and resources are released. Check out “Well-Being for legal professionals” >>