A longtime Disciplinary Commission staff attorney will temporarily lead the agency until a permanent executive secretary is chosen sometime next year.

The Indiana Supreme Court's Disciplinary Commission voted this morning to name staff attorney Seth T. Pruden as interim executive secretary. Current Executive Secretary Don Lundberg announced in November he's leaving that job after 18 years to become a partner and deputy general counsel at Indianapolis-based firm Barnes & Thornburg.

Pruden has worked as a staff attorney there since October 1996. He previously worked in private practice and as a public defender since being admitted to the bar in June 1984. He also teaches undergraduate legal ethics at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Now, he'll fill in as administrative head of the agency responsible for investigating and prosecuting claims of lawyer misconduct, supervising a staff of about 15, and acting as chief legal counsel to the nine-member commission.

A search is ongoing for a permanent executive secretary, and applications are being accepted through Jan. 29. Applications are posted online at the commission's Web site at www.in.gov/judiciary/discipline, where more information about the agency is also available. Completed applications can be sent to: Confidential Applications c/o Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission, 30 S. Meridian St., Suite 850, Indianapolis, IN 46204. All applications will be confidential.

Once applications are received, the Disciplinary Commission expects to review those as quickly as possible and discuss the issue at its February meeting. The commission will recommend finalists for consideration to the Indiana Supreme Court, which makes the ultimate decision on the appointment. No timeline has been announced.