Your ISBA sections and committees are at the forefront of the profession, providing CLE and resources, planning events, and moving Indiana’s legal community forward. Find out what they’ve been up to. If you have any section and/or committee updates you would like to share, email Abigail Hopf at ahopf@inbar.org.

ISBA Members in the Wild

2024 Leadership in Law Awards

This May, the Indiana Lawyer honored outstanding members of the legal profession at the 2024 Leadership in Law awards. Several ISBA members were recognized for their contributions to the legal field. Congratulations to the following and all honorees:

• Hon. Tanya Walton Pratt, Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree
• Anthony Scott Chinn, Distinguished Barrister
• Hon. Charnette Garner, Distinguished Barrister
• Brian Hewitt, Distinguished Barrister
• James Hinshaw, Distinguished Barrister
• Richard Kissel, II, Distinguished Barrister
• Suzannah Overholt, Distinguished Barrister
• Amy Romig, Distinguished Barrister
• Michael Tolbert, Distinguished Barrister
• Rakuya Trice, Distinguished Barrister
• James Watson, Distinguished Barrister
• Nabeela Virjee, Up & Coming Lawyer
• Tyler John Moorhead, Up & Coming Lawyer
• Caroline Brinster, Up & Coming Lawyer
• Emily Schmale, Up & Coming Lawyer
• Brett Thomas, Up & Coming Lawyer
• Alex Van Gorp, Up & Coming Lawyer
• Aaron Rodebeck, Up & Coming Lawyer
• Chasity Thompson Osborn, Legal Support Star

The 2024 Match of the Year: Bob Rath

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana (BBBSCI) is an organization committed to building a network of supportive relationships and creating a community that is better together. It serves 1,100+ youth annually in Hamilton, Johnson, and Marion Counties, with nearly 950 matches served this year alone. Bob Rath, Chief Innovation Officer with the Indiana Supreme Court Office of Judicial Administration, and Xavier are one such match. Paired since October 2020, the two have gone hiking at Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park, learned Spanish, and more, and were recently named one of BBBSCI’s 2024 Matches of the Year. Learn more »

A Paralegal in South Korea

ISBA member Kristy Gordon has been living in South Korea for the past few months, preparing for a legal career abroad. Kristy arrived in Jinhae, South Korea in November 2023 and has spent her time since teaching English, networking with law firms, and taking online courses in preparation for law school and finding employment in South Korea’s legal field. But between Korean language classes and exploring the area, Kristy remains involved in ISBA section and committee work.

(From Songdo Beach)

Thank You Section Sponsors

Section sponsorships have helped make two programs successful in the past two months. Support for the Leadership Development Academy (LDA) helped provide scholarships for class members who otherwise may not have afforded the program. And support for this spring’s etiquette dinner at IU Maurer enabled law students to not only pick up important etiquette tips but to also find their first connections to Indiana’s legal community. As one student noted: “It was exciting hearing from practicing attorneys and getting the opportunity to learn about their time in law school and how they transitioned into lawyering.”

Committees Contribute to ISBA Inclusion Reference Guide

ISBA released an Inclusion Reference Guide to provide guidance for legal professionals who wish to be as precise in addressing people as they are in drafting the terms of a contract. The guide is broken into four primary sections—ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation, disability, and language of origin—and each section provides definitions, language suggestions, tips for legal professionals, and additional resources.

The guide was written by ISBA with feedback from organizations who are the authority figures in their fields, including three ISBA committees: Diversity, Latino Affairs, and Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity. Read the guide »

Affiliate Committee Opens Nominations for Cathy Canny Award

The Affiliate Membership Committee is accepting nominations for the 2024 Cathy Canny Award of Excellence. The award honors ISBA affiliate members (paralegals, court administrators, law librarians, and legal administrators) who exemplify courageous leadership in raising the bar of professionalism for paralegals throughout Indiana. Please nominate a paralegal or legal staff member who demonstrates how indispensable affiliate members are to a legal team. Complete a nomination »

Family Law Announces Gale M. Phelps Recipient

The Family & Juvenile Law Section Gale M. Phelps Award recognizes family law attorneys who work diligently to raise the standards of professionalism in the field. Its 2024 winner, Nancy Cross, does exactly that. As one nominator noted, “Nancy is the epitome of a family law mentor and example. She brings the best qualities to the practice of family law; she is an effective and skilled advocate, an excellent mediator, is practical in her approach, strives always to be part of the solution and not part of the problem, and does a great job balancing the need to be empathetic with clients and at the same time give them direct and accurate legal advice.” Please join us in congratulating Nancy!

GP, SSF Hosts Another Successful SSFC, Announces Hall of Fame Award Recipient

The 22nd ISBA Solo & Small Firm Conference kicked off earlier this month in French Lick, Indiana. Hundreds of practitioners flooded the area for structured and unstructured connection opportunities, practical takeaways, business solutions, and more. The conference is an annual reminder of how together we build a better neighborhood—whether that neighborhood is our local communities and colleagues, or a color party in the West Baden atrium.

The General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section also announced the recipient of its 2024 Hall of Fame award at the conference. Congratulations to Patrick Olmstead! As one nominator shared, “His reputation is highly regarded among the bar members. His tenacity is noted by many, his dedication to Notre Dame and his family are renown and make him a role model at the highest levels.”

12th Class of LDA Graduates

Twenty-five attorneys graduated from the Leadership Development Academy in May. The class spent five months traveling across the state—hearing from top speakers (including nearly every justice on the Indiana Supreme Court, the Evansville mayor, and Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Lindsay Weaver, just to name a few), playing paintball in the rain, watching baseball from the country’s third-oldest stadium, and exploring the unique challenges of Indiana’s communities. Throughout the program, they have learned what it means (and what it takes) to be a local leader, how to support their communities, and how to step up and make a difference. Please join us in congratulating the graduates.

Probate Review Committee Considers Indiana’s Guardianship Code

The Probate, Trust & Real Property Section’s Probate Review Committee is considering modernizing Indiana’s Guardianship Code. They invite attorneys and legal professionals who practice in the area of guardianships to complete a survey and better inform recommendations to be made in the upcoming legislative session. Take the survey »

Tax Section Awards Three Student Scholarships

Each year, the Tax Section awards a $1,000 scholarship (recently renamed the Judge Martha Blood Wentworth Excellence in Tax Scholarship) to Indiana students who demonstrate academic excellence and commitment to the study and practice of law. This year, the section awarded $1,000 to three Indiana law students:

• Christopher Clerc is pursuing his LL.M at IU McKinney after spending a decade as a public defender and attorney for the Indiana Department of Child Services. He hopes to broaden his understanding of state and federal taxation through his studies, so that he can transition into a practice centered on tax law.
• Jason Gray is an upcoming 3L at IU Maurer. After working in corporate accounting for a nonprofit, he’s taken the next step and pursuing a legal career in tax work.
• Logan Bromm, a 3L at IU McKinney, is a founding member of McKinney’s Tax Law Society. He will be spending his summer in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel’s Honors Attorney Recruitment Program, working directly with taxpayers to investigate and resolve tax disputes, before graduating in December.

Please join us in congratulating these students!

Additional Activities

• The Affiliate Membership Committee gathered over 100 paralegals for their award-winning Paralegal Symposium. This annual seminar is developed exclusively for paralegals, by paralegals, with virtual programming created to help them thrive in their careers.
• The Animal Law Section hosted a career panel at IU McKinney in conjunction with the IU McKinney Animal Legal Defense Fund. Section members spoke on their careers and work in the field and connected with law students
• The Appellate Practice Section hosted students, practitioners, and judges at their Evening with the Appellate Judges CLE and reception.
• Practitioners and race fans alike met at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to discuss mediation and employment law and watch the Sonsio Grand Prix qualifications, at a CLE and social hosted by the Employment, Labor & Benefits Law Section.
• The Pro Bono Committee hosted the third walk-in clinic of their series this year. Volunteers and committee members helped members of the public with expungements, landlord-tenant issues, immigration, and more.

Upcoming CLE and Socials

• The Agricultural Law Section is hosting a networking event at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Wednesday, July 31. Meet with industry leaders, national figures, and others immersed in the agricultural field and get a complimentary ticket to the Indiana State Fair. Learn more »
• Learn all about Indiana’s expungement law and the ethical considerations you should keep in mind in a 1.0 hr. virtual CLE presented by the Criminal Justice Section. Learn more »
• The Family & Juvenile Law Section is hosting a summer social at Spencer Farm Winery on Friday, June 28. Meet with other family law attorneys and judges, enjoy a wine tasting, and listen to live music. Learn more »
• The FTC has issued a final rule relating to the use of non-compete clauses in contracts. Learn more about this rule and its practical impact in this CLE put on by the Intellectual Property Section. Learn more »
• Join the Senior Lawyers Section for a CLE presentation on how to best prepare for your post-law life. Then stick around for dinner and “The Best of John Williams with Jack Everly” at Symphony on the Prairie. Learn more »