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 this month. If you have any section and/or committee updates you would like to share, email Abigail Hopf at ahopf@inbar.org. 

Section and Committee Leaders Meet for Chair Orientation

On January 17, ISBA’s new section and committee chairs met in Indianapolis to discuss their roles and learn more about the ISBA. They watched an amazingly adept group of high school students demonstrate We the People, picked up new strategies for mentorship and pricing, and finished out the day by drafting value proposition statements to enhance their members’ experiences.

Inclusion Reference Guide Wins 2024 STAR Award for Exemplary Communications Program

ISBA’s Inclusion Reference Guide received the Indiana Society of Association Executives’ 2024 STAR Award for Exemplary Communications Program. This award recognizes innovative communication strategies within associations.

Developed with input from the ISBA Diversity, Latino Affairs, and Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Committees, the Inclusion Reference Guide provides definitions, language suggestions, best practices, and additional resources to those seeking to become more inclusive of their clients and colleagues. Learn more and access the guide »

Construction & Surety Law Section Updates Bylaws

The Construction & Surety Law Section updated its bylaws for the first time since the section was founded more than 20 years ago. Changes were accepted by the ISBA Board of Governors at their January meeting and included streamlining existing rules, updating voting and meeting requirements to better match current practices, and more.

Diversity Committee Sponsors IU McKinney Diversity Dinner

ISBA’s Diversity Committee is sponsoring IU McKinney’s Unity Dinner, hosted by the Asian Law Students Association, the Black Law Students Association, the Hispanic Law Society, the Lambda Law Society, and the AccessABILITY Student Union. The annual event celebrates individuals coming together to honor communities in the legal field and support students.

General Practice Section Seeking Hall of Fame Nominations

The General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section is accepting nominations for the ISBA General Practice Hall of Fame Award. This award recognizes outstanding members of the legal profession who demonstrate the highest standards of ethics and professional competency. Learn more and/or nominate a colleague »

Leadership Development Academy Committee Kicks Off 2025 Class

The Leadership Development Academy’s 13th class convened at Fort Benjamin Harrison in January for its first session. Professor Frank Sullivan, Jr. hosted an opening night reception at his house, Justice Mark Massa shared wisdom he’s learned over the years and guided conversation about the future of the profession, and Tiffany Lemons and Catherine Matthews led the class through a StrengthsFinder workshop. The program will pick up later this month at the Indiana Statehouse.

Pro Bono Committee Hosts Talk to a Lawyer Today: Clearing the Queue

On January 20, the Pro Bono Committee worked with county bar associations, pro bono agencies, and legal services across the state to offer free legal consultations through hotlines, walk-in clinics, and virtual sessions. ISBA members participated by answering legal questions on Indiana Free Legal Answers, a virtual legal advice clinic in which qualifying users post civil legal questions to be answered by pro bono attorneys.

The committee also continues to host walk-in legal clinics throughout the year, including a partnership with the Immigration Welcome Center on February 22 and their annual clinic series. Learn more about their work in this Res Gestae article »

If you are interested in volunteering at any of the clinics, please email Kim Latimore-Martin at klatimore-martin@inbar.org. 

Senior Lawyers Section Expands Membership Eligibility

The Senior Lawyers Section revised its bylaws to expand its membership, dropping the age of eligibility from 60 to 55. They also updated their mission statement, restating their focus on assisting attorneys before and after retirement. Additional bylaws changes included granting past chairs honorary council membership and stating intentions to try and include members of all backgrounds, identities, and circumstances within the council.

Women in the Law Committee Sponsors Bench Bar Scholarships

The Women in the Law Committee sponsored four local seniors through the Golden Gifts Donation Drive in December, supporting older adults in need during the holiday season.

The committee also awarded three law students full registration to the Women’s Bench Bar Retreat. Congratulations to Marie Burns from IU Maurer School of Law and Yoselin Fonseca and Chloe Edwards from IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

New this year, the committee is also providing two ISBA members reimbursement for the retreat through the Margret G. Robb Scholarship. All attorneys attending the ISBA Women’s Bench Bar Retreat are eligible to apply. Applications are due by February 26.

To apply, please email the following to IndianaWLAScholarships@gmail.com:

• A brief resume
• The reason you are applying for the scholarship
• If you have attended the retreat previously
• Why you want to attend the retreat this year
• What you hope to learn and/or experience 

Winners of the Margret G. Robb Scholarship will be announced at the retreat.

Connection Opportunities

• The Utility Law Section hosted their annual holiday party at the Lobby Bar in Indianapolis.
• Managing partners from across the state met at ISBA’s office to discuss practical ways their firm could start to maximize AI's potential, see what other firms were doing, and share additional pain points and questions.
• The Pro Bono Committee hosted their first walk-in legal clinic of the year at The Haverstick at the Crossing, serving over 40 Hoosiers with immigration and other legal needs.
• The Intellectual Property Section partnered with the IU McKinney Intellectual Property Student Association on a round-robin style networking reception.
• Twenty-five women associates met for the first in-person session of the 2025 Associate Empowerment Series.

Upcoming CLE and Socials

• Join the Women in the Law Committee for their 23rd annual Women’s Bench Bar Retreat this March in Plymouth, Indiana. Learn more »
• Preview the General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section’s SSFC 2025 content with this CLE on automation and AI on March 20. Learn more »
• The Animal Law Section is hosting an informal social at Half Liter Beer and BBQ Hall on March 23. Learn more »
• Save the date for the Utility Law Section’s Spring Seminar on May 2. Save the date »

Let Me Pick Your Brain: Using Inbar Connect to Increase Member Engagement

Many ISBA sections use Inbar Connect, a section-wide email distribution list that allows section members to ask each other questions, share relevant resources, and discuss upcoming events. If your section’s email distribution list is not as active as you’d like, take a page from the following section leaders who are attempting to garner more engagement.

The Tax Section’s 2025 chair sent a welcome message to all of his members, describing his goals for the year, introducing 2025 leadership, and inviting members to become more involved.

Dear Tax Section Members,

Happy New Year! I am excited and honored to lead the Tax Section in the coming year. I look forward to building upon the strong foundation established by our previous leaders and working with our outstanding leadership team to serve each of you.

Over the next year, I will be focused on increasing engagement between section members and with students. The executive team and I have already begun working on developing additional CLE offerings and exploring opportunities to engage with our law schools and law students.

I want to express my gratitude to our outgoing Chair, Adria Price, for her exemplary leadership and dedication over the past year. Her contributions have strengthened our section significantly, and I am grateful that she will continue to share her expertise and insight as a member of the executive committee. 

This year the Council has created a new "Advisor" position to expand engagement opportunities within our section. While non-voting in nature, this role is designed to bring additional perspectives to our leadership structure and provide an additional avenue for members to participate in section governance. Advisors will work closely with Council members on various initiatives, contribute to policy discussions, and help shape the future direction of our section. We believe this addition will strengthen our section by creating a pipeline for future leadership and providing more opportunities for experienced members to contribute their expertise and ideas.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can become more involved with the section, please feel free to contact me or any of the council members directly.

On behalf of the whole Council, I look forward to another productive year serving our members and the Indiana legal community. As always, we welcome your input and participation in section activities. Please be on the lookout for new events throughout the year as we seek to build on the momentum of 2024.

The Business Law Section is seeking member input on CLE topics and speakers, and asking members to chime in on how the section should use the listserv.

Happy 2025 Section Members! The CLE/Social Subcommittee is looking forward to planning some great events for this year but we would like to hear from you. We want to make sure that the programming we provide is going to be beneficial to you and your practice. Do you have any CLE topics you would like to see addressed this year? Would you be interested in being a speaker or do you know someone who has given a presentation that might be of interest to other section members? Please feel free to respond in this thread or reach out to me at the email address below if you have ideas or if you are interested in possibly being a speaker or know someone we might reach out to. We look forward to hearing from you. 

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Good afternoon, Business Law Section Members! One of the goals our section Council has set for this term is to increase member engagement through wider utilization of this listserv as a resource for discussion and collaboration. Whether you have a quick question on a topic or want to pick the hive-mind, this platform may help you get an answer or make a connection, and it may also help the rest of the section learn something too.  

The Section Council has discussed the possibility of sending out a fun message from time to time to bolster engagement. Some suggestions have been in the realm of brain-teasers and fun facts. Let us know if you have ideas or submissions that might be fun for the section members to try to work out! 

We do understand that our inboxes are full as it is and sometimes these listservs can get burdensome or ignored. The Inbar Connect How-to guide, located in the main Inbar Connect banner, includes instructions on how to change you Notification settings so you can receive message Digests, rather than a new message every time a section member contributes to a post.

Looking forward to seeing your discussions!

On-Demand CLE Added to the ISBA Library 

The following CLE programs were added to ISBA’s on-demand library. Missed them in action? Check them out now—virtually and at your convenience!

• The Gentleman’s Rule and the Rule of Law. View CLE »
• Animal Law Section | Family Violence and Animal Cruelty: How Prosecuting Animal Abuse Can Save Lives. View CLE »
• Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights Section | Raising the Bar: The Vital Role Paralegals and Legal Assistants Play in Bankruptcy Relief. View CLE »
• Alternative Dispute Resolution Section | Nuances in Neutrality. View CLE »