Welcome to First Impressions, a place for sharing your thought about legal news and issues in Indiana and beyond. I'm your host, Jennifer Nelson, Web editor for Indiana Lawyer. Just like in the courtroom, we encourage everyone to interact with civility.
Recent Blog Posts
Role playing, gang banging
January 28, 2010
Comments(0)Typical gang activity: fighting opposing gang members, committing crime, and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Wait, what? The
7th Circuit Court of Appeals said so in an opinion it released this week in an inmate’s appeal after his D&D games were
taken...
MoreMoney for nothing?
January 25, 2010
Comments(0)There’s an interesting case playing out in Kentucky involving a dispute over attorney’s fees. Two lawyers, who didn’t work
on the bad-faith claim against a doctor’s insurer, argue they should get a cut of the fees because they originally signed
up...
MoreCommittee observations
January 21, 2010
Comments(0)If I checked my Blackberry, read the news online, generally just didn’t pay attention, or even got up and left during a meeting,
I think that would be rude behavior. But my behavior would be acceptable apparently as a member of...
MoreFirm recruiting changes
January 19, 2010
Comments(0)If the National Association for Law Placement has its way, January and November are going to become very important months
to many law students. NALP released a report this month detailing significant changes to the recruiting process. The biggest
one: Goodbye...
MoreBanned from the library
January 14, 2010
Comments(0)First they were prohibited from living too close to schools and then public park bans became the norm. Now, one legislator
hopes to ban registered sex offenders from public libraries. If they show up there to check out a book or...
MoreLobbyist, legislator reforms
January 11, 2010
Comments(0)The General Assembly’s attempt to make changes to how lobbyists operate is moving through the legislature right now. HB 1001
puts more restrictions on who can register as lobbyists and when, as well as reduces the minimum reportable amount of money...
MoreFacebook fuels divorce
January 6, 2010
Comments(0)Facebook is great for reconnecting with old classmates and friends. It’s also great at causing divorce. That great tool of
reconnecting with former friends also lets people reconnect with former flames, leading to emotional, physical, or just cyber
infidelity. According to...
MoreDNA bill targets relatives
January 4, 2010
Comments(0)Relatives of someone who commits a crime may find themselves under investigation under a proposed bill to regarding DNA testing.
Senate Bill 89 would amend Chapter 6 of Indiana Code 10-13 to add section 13.5, which authorizes the superintendent of a...
MorePlay like a justice
December 29, 2009
Comments(0)There’s an opportunity to play a fantasy version online of nearly every sport. Sports nuts spend weeks researching players
preparing for fantasy drafts, hoping to build a perfect fantasy team. But what about those people who may have an interest
in...
MoreElectronic holiday cheer
December 24, 2009
Comments(0)Instead of running to the mailbox to see if you’ve received a holiday card, try opening your inbox. Electronic holiday cards
seem to be catching on with people, including professionals, as a way to send your holiday cheer without stamps. I...
MoreSenator wants no mandates
December 21, 2009
Comments(0)Senate Joint Resolution 0002 is not likely to get the fanfare and attention that property tax caps, education, and health
care will receive in the 2010 General Assembly, but if it eventually passes, it will have as much as an impact...
MoreSimpler seasonal celebrations
December 18, 2009
Comments(0)‘Tis the season for holiday parties – so does that mean ‘tis now the season for scaling back? Blogs and news outlets across
the country have stories about law firm holiday parties, and all have the common theme of the parties...
MoreTrends for 2010
December 15, 2009
Comment(1)The employment outlook for paralegals looks up as legal secretaries have reason to be nervous, according to one legal staffing
agency. Paralegals are in higher demand as more duties are assigned to them in the workplace. Robert Half Legal’s 2010 Salary...
MoreMore frequent fitness exams?
December 10, 2009
Comments(4)When you decided to become an attorney, one of the last steps you took was standing before the Board of Law Examiners Committee
on Character and Fitness, which determined whether you should be admitted to the bar. Attorneys deemed to have...
MoreSwayed by repayment programs
December 7, 2009
Comments(0)Last week, two large law schools announced updates to their loan forgiveness programs. The Berkley School of Law at the University
of California and Georgetown University Law Center will now cover all law school loan debt for graduates who work...
MoreHot dog leads to suit
December 4, 2009
Comment(1)A woman slipped in a Connersville Speedway gas station, so of course, she’s filed a lawsuit. The gas station should have known
better than to leave a hot dog on the floor. According to a lawsuit filed in Indianapolis this week...
MoreRankings influence schools
December 3, 2009
Comments(0)A new report says law schools are greatly influenced by the annual rankings released by U.S. News & World Report . I didn’t
need a report to tell me that. What I did need the report to tell me was how...
MoreBilling rates going up
December 2, 2009
Comments(0)Clients are going to have to pony up a little more cash next year for their lawyers. According to an Altman Weil survey on
2010 billing rates, only about 10 percent of firms surveyed plan to maintain their current billing rates...
MoreFlex-time push
November 30, 2009
Comments(0)Is being a part-time attorney a dirty little secret? Some large companies believe so, and are working to change this mindset.
According to an article in the National Law Journal , Del Monte Foods and several other companies are adding part-time...
MoreFirms target of e-mail scams
November 23, 2009
Comments(0)Law firms are being warned that they are the target of “spear phishing” e-mails. The FBI sent out an advisory last week which
said that it believed hackers were targeting U.S. law firms and public relations firms. The hackers are spear...
MoreDiverse in diversity thinking
November 19, 2009
Comments(0)When the word diversity first comes to mind, you may think of people of different ethnicities, races, or gender. And that’s
become the problem because “diversity” has become a bit stagnant in what people think makes up a diverse population and...
MoreSuper lawyers, super schools?
November 17, 2009
Comments(0)Move over U.S. News and World Report law school rankings, there’s a new list in town, and it’s from the same people who pick
Super Lawyers. According to Super Lawyers magazine, the University of Notre Dame Law School ranks 43; right...
MoreLaw school as an investment
November 16, 2009
Comments(2)Should the decision of whether or not to go to law school be made just as one would when deciding what stocks to buy for their
401k or invest in an IRA? Professor Herwig Schlunk at Vanderbilt University Law School thinks...
MoreLoan help for unemployed
November 11, 2009
Comments(0)In a story in the Nov. 11 issue of Indiana Lawyer , recent law school graduate Amanda Whipple wished for assistance in repaying
student loans for unemployed attorneys who volunteer at nonprofit or legal services organizations. Amanda may get her wish,...
MoreTough times for lawyers
November 9, 2009
Comments(0)It’s been a tough year for attorneys, especially associates, according to the National Law Journal’s 2009 NLJ 250. In fact,
the publication reports that this is the worst year for attorneys as far as how many are practicing since it began...
More
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The court of appeals not only tries to rewrite or interpret the law to suit their fancy, now they choose play stupid as well. Every consideration must be given to pro se litigants, who are not held to the same standards as attorneys, as stated by,SCOTUS. I assume they didn't have a lawyer, since one wasn't mentioned and I strongly suggest thatb the rest of the, origional petitioners get back in there and fight for their rights.
the irony of situations like this is that the clients whom conour cheated are the ones who should be pulling hardest for him to remain free and keep his law license, so they have some hopes of him paying back. really bury the guy deep and then there will be little hope of restitution
Qualified immunity, means that if you wear a badge, you are exempt from law and free to do anything you please! The courts will back badge toting individuals, because they think they are above the law as well. They think, they have judicial immunity, they do not.
Deeply, deeply concerned? I'll bet if it was the judge's money that had been swindled we'd see deep concern with actual consequences. First a Ponzi scheme, then a shell game with the assets…c'mon, hasn't Conour abused the judicial system and his clients long enough? I say enough already.
Wow, just wow.