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
Does duty stop at door?
August 1, 2008
Comments(0)The Indiana Supreme Court granted transfer yesterday to a case that will have implications on a hospital’s duty to protect
its patients from suspected abusers. Indiana Lawyer Daily wrote about the case in March when the majority of the Indiana Court...
MoreJurisdiction not camera shy
July 31, 2008
Comments(0)Indianapolis documentary filmmaker Karen Grau’s request to film juvenile court proceedings in Lake County has been granted
by the Indiana Supreme Court. Grau is no stranger to Indiana’s juvenile courts, as she has already worked on several documentaries
with Lake Juvenile...
MoreCourt holds up settlement
July 30, 2008
Comments(0)Even though the parties involved in litigation of a wrongful imprisonment suit want to settle after a jury already announced
its award, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request to throw out the jury award to clear the way...
MoreThe legal system and media
July 29, 2008
Comments(0)From Indiana Lawyer reporter Michael Hoskins, who is in Reno attending a conference at the National Judicial College: Courts
and media can sometimes collide, but there’s a plethora of reasons for both to get along. This is the topic of...
MoreCourthouse attorney lounge
July 28, 2008
Comments(0)After a decade-long absence, attorneys visiting the Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Indianapolis have a
quiet place to prepare for court. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, announced
today it has opened...
MoreAG saves taxpayer money
July 25, 2008
Comments(0)For the second time in a month, the Indiana Attorney General’s office has decided not to appeal court decisions that didn’t
come out in its favor regarding new laws. Earlier this month, the office announced it wouldn’t appeal U.S. District Judge...
MoreLetters from jail
July 24, 2008
Comments(0)If there’s ample evidence you wrote threatening letters to the president of the United States and chief justice of Canada,
and you happened to include a white, powdery substance that could be mistaken for anthrax, then don’t try to appeal your...
MoreNeed for non-violent orders?
July 23, 2008
Comments(0)On Tuesday, tragedy struck in Indianapolis when a man allegedly murdered two people – his ex-wife and her boyfriend – and
then reportedly turned the gun on himself. The man had a history of violence, according to police and news reports,...
MoreAnother judge in trouble
July 22, 2008
Comment(1)Allen Circuit Court Judge Thomas Felts was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving while in Indianapolis last Friday. Judge
Felts told Indiana Lawyer he regrets what’s happened. Judges getting arrested and breaking the law isn’t anything new. Judges
are human, just...
MoreJournalistic shielding
July 18, 2008
Comments(0)Both of Indiana’s senators are pushing for passage of a federal shield law. Sen. Dick Lugar, a Republican, talked this week
about making that happen soon and as recently as last week Senate leadership noted this may come up yet in...
MoreEnd the death penalty?
July 17, 2008
Comments(0)More than a year ago, a team of law professors, scholars, lawyers, and judges let loose a report recommending a halt to the
death penalty in Indiana. That assessment came on behalf of the American Bar Association and was one of...
MoreToo much pressure?
July 16, 2008
Comments(0)We see them as the authority behind the bench, applying the law and dispensing justice on a daily basis. But what happens
when a judge crosses the line – criminal conduct or not – and allows work or personal pressure to...
MoreStalking interpretations
July 15, 2008
Comments(0)Is standing on a public street, staring at someone’s house considered taboo and possibly enough for a felony stalking charge?
Does the answer change if it happens more than once, say four times, and that the person being watched feels...
MoreWhat of Indiana\'s reputation?
July 15, 2008
Comments(0)It seems Indiana’s legal community has a good reputation out there. Studies appear to come out regularly assessing some aspect
of Indiana’s legal system: Our litigation climate, ethics of the judiciary and legal community, and so on. But off-the-cuff,
what are...
MoreLegal help from Oprah
July 14, 2008
Comments(0)Oprah Winfrey wants to offer you legal help. The catch: Your case will be documented in her magazine for the world to see.
I came across a link on CNN.com that leads to a promotional page from Winfrey’s magazine, “O, The...
MoreGamble leads to law suit
July 11, 2008
Comments(0)Jeff Frazer and three of his buddies took a chance at beating the odds and winning at a Hoosier Lottery scratch-off game,
Cash Blast. The top prize was $250,000. Believing the odds were in their favor, the four purchased at least...
MoreFun with opinions
July 10, 2008
Comments(0)Typically court opinions are straight to the point about the merits of the case, the application of laws, and why the judge
or judges decided to rule the way they did. That’s why it comes as a refreshing surprise when judges...
MoreSafety in the legal world
July 9, 2008
Comments(0)The recent abduction of an Anderson attorney by his client raised an issue I don’t see discussed much – the safety risks of
working in the legal field. Attorneys and judges work in a high-stress environment where court decisions can greatly...
MoreFirm diversity coordinators
July 8, 2008
Comments(0)Diversity. Law firms know it’s important yet sometimes hesitate to talk about or tackle it because the subject can be overwhelming.
Our sister publication, the Indianapolis Business Journal, has an article in its July 7-13 issue regarding diversity managers
and coordinators...
MoreBad cops, dropped charges
July 7, 2008
Comments(0)In Indianapolis, there have been five police officers arrested for breaking the law in recent weeks - three narcotics detectives
and two patrol officers. As a result of narcotics detectives’ arrests, some of the cases they’ve worked on are now being...
MoreStill land of the free?
July 3, 2008
Comments(0)Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, a celebration of America’s birthday and all the freedoms we have as American citizens. The
U.S. is the “land of the free,” but it sometimes feels like it’s slowly turning into the “land of the...
MoreMcCain discusses judges
July 2, 2008
Comments(0)The presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain spoke in Indianapolis Tuesday at the National Sheriff’s Association’s
annual conference. Obviously, his speech was geared toward law enforcement and why he is the right candidate for them to elect,
but he said...
MoreJuly means new laws
July 1, 2008
Comments(0)Today the majority of bills signed into law by Gov. Mitch Daniels in February and March go into effect. There are a lot of
new laws that are of interest to the legal community – judges’ pensions, public records and criminal...
MoreOpinions jump every June
June 30, 2008
Comments(0)It’s June 30 – the last day of the Indiana Supreme Court’s fiscal year. That means the mad rush of opinions has been upon
us for the last 30 days. It happens every year: the high court releases a deluge of...
MoreSurvey says: Do something about it
June 27, 2008
Comments(0)Bar associations survey their members to find out everything from salary to time off to satisfaction with the county judges.
They publish the results for the world to see and sometimes, news organizations like us report on the findings. But then...
More
Sponsored by
ADVERTISEMENT
Court Calendar
-
May 22, 2013 Floyd Weddle v. State of Indiana - 5/22/13
-
May 24, 2013 Indiana Patient's Compensation Fund v. Judy Holcomb, Personal Representative of the Estate of Mable Louise Cochran, deceased - 5/24/13
-
May 28, 2013 The Estate of Richard A. Mayer and Spangler, Jennings & Dougherty, P.C., v. Lax, Inc., and David Lasco - 5/28/13
-
June 12, 2013 Northern Assurance Company of America v. Thomson, Inc., et al. - 6/12/13
ADVERTISEMENT
Back to TopCopyright © All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use.
Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing.
Additional Hosting & Delivery by
Jack, I was only responding to bill's comment of tying everybody in government together. I agree with you though, it takes one bad apple to ruin the bunch.. As in any profession. What's truly unfair is when somebody violates someone's trust and takes complete advantage of someone
John’s comment is unfair. The majority of attorneys can be trusted. Unfortunately, all it takes is one greedy, unscrupulous, immoral attorney to jade the public.
In regards to bill's comment about trusting the cover meant. We can trust them about as much as we can trust attorneys'.
This is disturbing to learn...
Yikes!