These IndyBar members–and their innovative ideas–are just a few of those who will be honored at the Indianapolis Bar Association and Foundation Recognition Luncheon on Thursday, November 8, 2012.

More than 25 percent of the cases pending in the United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana, have a least one pro se litigant. To address this community need, the Court launched the Mediation Assistance Program (MAP) in September 2009.

Former St. Joseph County Superior Court judge and former chief judge of the Indiana Court of Appeals Sanford “Sandy” Brook will return to South Bend Oct. 24 to perform in the one-man play, “An Evening with Clarence Darrow.”

The Indiana State Bar Association has released results of its 2012 Judicial Retention Poll. None of the six appellate judges up for retention in the Indiana Supreme Court or Court of Appeals received less than 81 percent of “yes” votes.

Respondents to a recent survey conducted by the Lake County Bar Association on two judges up for retention this year have recommended the judges be retained.

St. Joseph County Bar Association Diversity Committee recently organized a Diversity and Inclusion Summit to shed light on the low number of minorities in the law and bounce around ideas about attracting more minorities, women, and gays and lesbians to the practice of law.

If you recall, smoking is now prohibited in most Indiana workplaces (exceptions being places like riverboats, horse racing facilities and other gaming facilities, retail tobacco stores, and bars that do not employ individuals under the age of 18 or allow individuals under the age of 21, other than employees, to enter, among other things). The law requires employers to prohibit smoking in areas within eight feet of a public entrance to a “place of employment” or a “public place.”

It is with great pleasure that I will host this year’s IndyBar Destination CLE, taking place in Sedona, Arizona from November 15 to November 17. To entice your attendance, this year’s CLE will be held at the Enchantment Resort & Mii amo Spa, nestled into the red rock wall of Sedona’s Boynton Canyon.

A special relationship exists between the Indianapolis Bar Foundation and the Indianapolis Bar Association. It is easy to think of the IBF as the “fund raising arm” of the IndyBar. And that isn’t wrong.

Read news briefs from around the IndyBar!

How do insurers effectively rescind insurance policies?

John C. Trimble, partner at Lewis Wagner and former president of the DTCI, has been named 2013 Indianapolis Insurance Law Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers.

Evansville Bar Association members have overwhelmingly recommended five of the seven candidates running for Vanderburgh Superior Court, based on results from a recent survey.

State Sen. Brent Steele, R-Bedford, and Rep. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, will receive the Indiana Pro Bono Commission’s Randall T. Shepard Award for excellence in pro bono publico, the Indiana Bar Foundation announced Thursday.

If you are a woman trying to make it to the top of a law firm, can you expect a higher-ranking female attorney to take you under her wing? Do you need to undermine other women in order to advance or treat other women as threats?

The Indianapolis Bar Association’s Nominating Committee has announced the selection of John C. Trimble of Lewis Wagner LLP as the 2015 President of the Indianapolis Bar Association.

Think networking is difficult or intimidating? Wish you could easily meet and talk with leaders in the legal community? The IndyBar has a solution!

It falls upon me to make the happy announcement that the Board of Directors of the Indianapolis Bar Association has approved the creation of a new section of the bar — the Indy Attorneys Network.

News from around the Indianapolis Bar Association.

Did you know that a number of Indiana women played important roles in the national fight for women’s suffrage?

Nearly one-third (32 percent) of lawyers interviewed for the Robert Half Legal Hiring Index plan to hire full-time legal professionals during the fourth quarter of 2012, while three percent anticipate staff reductions.

Students, check out the scholarships available from the Indianapolis Bar Foundation. Two scholarships for the Winter 2013 IndyBar Review session are up for grabs. The application deadline is November 1.

Reach for Youth is seeking local attorneys to serve as volunteer judges at Teen Court, a program designed to reduce recidivism for first-time juvenile offenders by giving them a second chance to repair the harm they’ve caused without experiencing formal court prosecution.

A total of 438 people passed the Indiana bar exam administered in July, according to a list posted Tuesday on the Indiana courts website.

The St. Thomas More Society of Indianapolis will hold its Red Mass at St. John Catholic Church Oct. 9 in downtown Indianapolis. The Mass is ecumenical in nature and celebrated by judges and lawyers of all faiths.