By Heather George Myers

I am honored to be selected to chair the GP, Solo & Small Firm Section over the next two years. I have been a member of the GP, Solo & Small Firm Section since I became a State Bar Association member in 2009. My first real involvement with the section was attending the Solo & Small Firm Conference held in French Lick, Indiana in 2013. I was excited to take a break from the practice of law and network with other solo and small firm attorneys in beautiful southern Indiana. I enjoyed the conference so much that I decided to join the Solo & Small Firm Planning Committee where I became the Marketing Chair and currently serve as the Programming Chair.

I am a graduate of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in Bloomington, Indiana and in 2009 I received my J.D. from Capital University Law School. I have been a solo practitioner since I became licensed in 2009. My office is located in Greenwood, Indiana where I focus on family law, business law, and estate planning. I also serve as a public defender in Johnson County on Children in Need of Service cases, adoption matters, and mental health cases. I recently became a domestic relations mediator and look forward to expanding that part of my practice. I have also served as the President of the Johnson County Bar Association and continue to serve as the Scholarship Committee Chair and to provide CLE opportunities to our members.

I reside in Greenwood with my husband, Zach Myers, and our two children. I serve on the Board for the Center Grove Education Foundation, volunteer at my church, Mount Pleasant Christian Church, and lead my son’s scout den. I also enjoin serving as an adjunct professor at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in Indianapolis. 

My goal over the next two years is to continue to provide tangible benefits to our membership. We currently have an active list-serve and a wonderful conference held each June. Our council will continue efforts to engage interaction among members and to exchange information across the section. Please continue to check Res Gestae for feature articles on practice tips, wellness information, and updates to the law.

It is now my pleasure to introduce you to the 2020 GP, Solo and Small Firm Section Council Members.


Jason M. Massaro, GP, Solo & Small Firm Section Chair-Elect is the owner of The Massaro Legal Group in Indianapolis, Indiana, a boutique litigation firm, focusing primarily on complex business, commercial, contract, and real estate litigation as well as appellate work. His experience ranges from counseling individuals as well as businesses of all sizes ranging from small to Fortune 500 companies in a variety of matters including litigation, contract issues, real estate matters, closely-held and minority shareholder disputes, Limited Liability Company (LLC) and partnership disputes, negotiations, corporate and partnership structuring, and corporate compliance. Jason has been in practice for over 23 years and is consistently recognized for both his legal ability and ethics. He has earned an AV® Distinguished™ Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, is a Super Lawyer Top Rated Business Litigation Lawyer, is a Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America, and is also listed as one of Indiana's Top-Rated Lawyers.
 
Jason received his B.S, with distinction, in Economics from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Valparaiso University School of Law. Jason is also active in various Indiana bar associations currently acting as current Executive Committee Member for both the Litigation Section and the Business Law Section of the Indiana State Bar Association (ISBA) where Jason had served as past Chair of the Litigation Section of the ISBA, past Chair of the Business Litigation Section of Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana (DTCI), and past Chair of the Trial Tactics Section of DTCI.

John “J.T.” Funk, GP, Solo & Small Firm Section Vice-Chair is a partner at Tate Bowen Daugherty Funk Spandau LLC where he practices in construction, real estate, and estate planning. J.T. earned his Juris Doctor from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 2016. 
 
Upon opening his own firm after graduation, J.T. saw the impact that involvement in the State Bar Association has on lawyers not just as advocates for their clients, but as conscientious citizens as well. J.T. is a member of the ISBA Solo & Small Firm Conference Planning Committee. J.T. serves as the Co-Chair of the Marketing Committee for the SSFC Planning Committee. J.T. is involved in the ISBA because of the community involvement, CLE offerings, and ample opportunities to learn from and network with other members of the bar both young and seasoned.

J.T. resides in Indianapolis with his wife, Sarah, and their three children. He is a member of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Parish, and is the Head Coach of his son’s Junior Fuel travel hockey team. Prior to becoming an attorney, J.T. was a high school English teacher. J.T. also plays guitar in a band called The Tamarindo Rock Band which raises money to help send young adults from El Salvador to college.

Paraskevi “Patty” N. Xidias, GP, Solo & Small Firm Section Secretary/Treasurer focuses her practice primarily on estate planning and immigration. Prior to becoming an attorney, Patty worked in the Marion County court systems as both an employee and an intern. Patty uses this experience to assist her clients through the litigation process. Patty believes that the more options an attorney can help their client identify, the better their opportunities will be for the long term. Xidias believes that her job is to not tell a client what they want to hear, but to tell them what they need to know to make an informed decision. Patty loves to practice law because she loves to help people plan and find the pathway that leads them to where they can be successful, happy, and just enjoy life. 

Patty joined the GP, Solo and Small Firm Section council after becoming a member of the Solo and Small Firm Planning Committee. Patty feels being a part of the GP, Solo & Small Firm Section gives the opportunity to work with other attorneys and to improve and grow the legal profession. In her free time, Patty loves to travel and learn about other cultures. Patty’s favorite place to visit is Greece. Xidias’s father’s family originates from Greece and she regularly travels back there to visit family and to enjoy her family’s birthplace.

GP, Solo & Small Firm Council Members:
Immediate Past Chair – Dana Zivkovich, Zivkovich Law Offices, Highland 
Solo & Small Firm Conference Chair – Ann Marie Waldron, Waldron Law, Indianapolis
District 1 – Jacquelyn Pillar, Crist, Sears & Zic, LLP, Munster 
District 2 – Natalie Fierek, Law Office of Natalie M. Fierek, North Webster 
District 3 – Dianna L Cole, Cole Law Firm, LLC, South Bend 
District 4 – Bryce Owens, Attorney at Law, Pendleton 
District 5 – Vacant
District 6 – Carrie Cloud, Cloud Legal, Rushville 
District 7 – Daniel C. Cyr Jr., CarminParker, PC, Bloomington 
District 8 – Vacant 
District 9 – Thomas E. Scifres, Thomas E. Scifres, PC, Salem 
District 10 – James E. Millikan, Millikan Law Office, New Castle 
District 11 – David Frangos, Frangos Legal, LLC, Indianapolis 
Young Lawyers Section Representative - Ben Spandeau, Tate Bowen Daugherty Funk Spandau LLC, Indianapolis

There are currently district representative vacancies for Districts 5 and 8. For purposes of determining eligibility, a section member’s primary business office location shall be deemed the member’s county of residence. District 5 includes Benton, Boone, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Howard, Jasper, Montgomery, Newton, Tippecanoe, Warren, and White counties. District 8 includes Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, and Warrick counties.

If you are interested in being the Representative for District 5 or 8, please contact me at HGeorgeMyers@gmail.com.

By Leslie Craig Henderzahs

As originally appeared in the December 2019 issue of Res Gestae

The Indiana State Bar Association paves the way for its members to enjoy the rich and rewarding admission experience to the Supreme Court of the United States, and as of this writing, I have just returned from Washington, D.C., as a newly minted member of the Supreme Court bar. In fact, I was seated less than a “first down” away from the greatest legal minds in the country!

The day included breakfast in a private Supreme Court conference room, which included a courtyard, accompanied by the Clerk of the Court and Hoosier George T. Patton Jr., the appellate practitioner who kindly served as the movant for our ISBA group of 11 members. George is well known at the Court – this was his 20th Motion for Admission. After arriving outside the stately building, we waited for about 30 minutes, standing in awe with little conversation or noise and gazing up the grand stairs, over fountains and in reverence of billowing American flags on this breezy, 60-degree day. On each side of the front stairs are two statues of seated figures: on the left, The Contemplation of Justice, a female holding a book of laws and a figure of blindfolded Justice, which symbolizes impartiality, and on the right, The Authority of Law, a male holding in his left hand a tablet of laws, backed by a sheathed sword, symbolizing enforcement through law. The Supreme Court Building is sometimes referred to as a “temple of justice” because it is both a work of art and a working office building. It is fittingly located at 1 First Street in our nation’s capital. (A quick history lesson: The Supreme Court was not provided with its own building until 1935; it first met on Feb. 1, 1790, at the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City. In 1929, Chief Justice William Howard Taft, who served as president of the United States from 1909-1913, led an effort to persuade Congress to authorize construction of a permanent home for the Court consistent with an independent judiciary branch.)

Back to the future: Right at 8 o’clock, we were admitted into the stately building and directed beyond a colossal statue of John Marshall, our nation’s longest-serving Chief Justice (1801-1835). After introductions and pleasantries, we were escorted to the conference room for breakfast. It was ornate and contained three of the most beautiful chandeliers, which sparkled with crystals, including twinkling radiant stars.

The Clerk of the Supreme Court, Scott S. Harris, now the Court’s 20th, addressed our group and provided an overview regarding the procedure of the ceremony and precise decorum. Photos were taken by the Court photographer. Our guests were escorted away. Then, so as not to vary even slightly from the script, George conducted a rehearsal of our positioning and response to the highly anticipated oath. Next we marched down the Great Hall and into the Court where our guests were already seated. The admittees were seated right in front of the brass rail dividing the justices from the counsel tables and counsel to be admitted. On each of the counsel tables were two sets of white hand-cut goose quills, originally for notetaking positioned in an X formation, a tradition since the early 1800s.

The Courtroom is situated at the center of the first floor. It is surprisingly small in size, measuring 82 by 91 feet with ceilings rising 44 feet to accommodate 24 Italian marble columns topped by sculpted Spanish marble panels that depict “legal themes and famous lawgivers.” Promptly at 10 a.m., the justices entered the Courtroom and took their places about 20 feet in front of the attorneys with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. sitting in the center and presiding over the admission ceremony, oral arguments and other business of the day.

Each attorney seeking admission was privileged to stand for introduction to the Court; our movant affirmed our qualifications and good moral and professional character. The Chief Justice granted our admission and then administered the oath whereby I swore to “conduct myself uprightly and according to the law, and that I will support the Constitution of the United States.” As I listened to Chief Justice Roberts, I thought about the irony of so few words commanding such awesome responsibility – the responsibility of our profession.

The admission was followed by two oral arguments that permitted the justices to question the arguing attorneys at will regarding their opposing positions. Although the first argument focused on somewhat complicated and technical insurance processes, statutes, appropriations and terms, the most striking aspect was the practical way each justice distilled the lawyer’s differing perspectives, concepts and precedent to formulate simplistic questions centered upon equitable principles and potential outcomes.

Our group’s admission to the Supreme Court of the United States was an experience of a lifetime and one that will be revered for the remainder of my professional days. I hope you, too, will enjoy such an extraordinary opportunity.

President Leslie Craig Henderzahs, Noblesville, is a partner at the firm Church Church Hittle & Antrim with offices located in Noblesville, Fishers, Fort Wayne, Tipton, Westfield and Merrillville. She is the first female partner in the firm, which was founded in 1880. Leslie focuses her practice in civil litigation and is a family law specialist as certified by the Family Law Certification Board. In 2017, Leslie was a candidate and semi-finalist in the Judicial Nominating Commission’s interviews to select the 110th justice of the Indiana Supreme Court. Prior to joining the firm, she served as law clerk to the Hon. J. Patrick Endsley, magistrate judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Leslie was appointed to the Indiana Supreme Court’s Indiana Innovation Initiative as a member of the Family Law Taskforce, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Steven H. David. Additionally, she serves as judge pro tem for the Hamilton Superior Courts.

Leslie is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association (president, 2019-2020; current sustaining member; member, Board of Governors; chair, Women in the Law Committee; member, Nominating Committee; volunteer, Mentor Match; member, Budget & Finance Committee; recipient, ISBA Gale M. Phelps Award; and member, House of Delegates), American Bar Association, and Hamilton County Bar Association (president, 2012-13; executive member). Additionally, she has been a Fellow of the Indiana Bar Foundation since 1996 and a Distinguished Fellow of the Indianapolis Bar Foundation. In 2018, Leslie was honored to be named one of Indiana Minority Business Magazine’s Champions of Diversity. Locally, she is active with the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce (member, board of directors), Boys & Girls Club of Noblesville and the Riverview Hospital Foundation Board.

Leslie received her undergraduate degree from Indiana University Bloomington and her J.D. from the I.U. McKinney School of Law in 1990. She was born in Louisville, Ky.

Professional enjoyment: the wonderful people with whom I come in contact each day. Whether they are leaders of our great state, corporate organizations or their own families, each person has fascinating anecdotes that I enjoy learning.

Your inspiration: the application of our societal rules and laws, and the changes in societal mindsets over history, which caused us to broaden our views, minds and the preservation of constitutional rights to protect everyone

Why bar association involvement: The ISBA is the independent voice of the legal profession. It advocates to improve the administration of justice for the benefit of the public as well as its members and their clients. People seek the guidance of lawyers because they need help with potentially life-changing events. The integrity of our legal profession and judicial system is paramount to promoting public trust and confidence, which in turn directly benefits our communities and state.

Fav hobbies: swimming or any other water sport.

Fav book or author and current reading: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum.

Fav vacation spot: any beach or Paris, France.

Fav food or restaurant: The Eagle, Indianapolis.

Top of my bucket list: travel to Italy with my entire family and having the time to care for a horse of my own.

Vice President Clayton C. Miller, Indianapolis, is counsel to the firm of Stoll Keenon Ogden, which merged with Bamberger Foreman Oswald & Hahn in 2017. Clay was formerly with the Indianapolis-based firm Baker & Daniels (counsel); the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (staff attorney); and the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (chief administrative law judge). He is a graduate of Harvard College and I.U. Maurer School of Law. He was born in Illinois.

A member of the Indianapolis, Indiana State and American bar associations, Clay was the recipient of the ISBA Presidential Citation in 2005, 2007 and 2013 and the Indiana Bar Foundation’s William G. Baker Civic Education Award in 2011.

His community/civic activities include Chatham Arch Neighborhood Foundation (president); Madam Walker Legacy Center (former vice president); and Roberts Park United Methodist Church (building committee chair).

If not a lawyer: architect or forester

Fav hobbies: attending major and minor league baseball games and visiting historic sites.

Rafael A. Sanchez, Indianapolis, Treasurer, is the president of private banking at Old National Bank. Previously, he was president & CEO of Indianapolis Power & Light Co., and a partner at Bingham Greenebaum Doll, LLP.

He serves as co-chair of the 2021 NBA All-Star Game – Indianapolis; co-chair of the 2021 NBA All-Star Legacy Committee, chair-elect of United Way of Central IN, and president-elect of Crossroads of America Council (BSA).

Professional enjoyment: It represents the epitome of servant leadership; From day one, it evokes the concept of pro bono and instills in every lawyer a sense of duty and obligation to provide assistance to those who cannot help themselves

Your inspiration: It started with wanting to help my family and friends in business matters and then evolved to the idea of just being an advocate for people who need help.

Why bar association involvement: In my particular case, it allows me to stay connected and give back to the legal profession while at the same time highlighting the fact that a legal education and experience can open the door to so many other interesting business and career opportunities.

If not a lawyer: CEO of a company, which I was fortunate to become a few years ago. 

Fav hobbies: Watching movies, playing poker, and traveling

Fav book or author and current reading: Favorite book: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (Greg McKeown); currently reading: The Dichotomy of Leadership (Jocko Willink)

Fav vacation spot: nywhere in Europe

Fav food or restaurant: Delicia

Top of my bucket list: A trip to Machu Picchu