Editorial
Indiana Lawyer announces Leadership in Law honorees
April 25, 2012
Kelly LucasThe nominations received tell the story of impressive court victories and decisions that have had an impact on Indiana law.
But even more telling is the passion that comes through in many of the nomination packets and letters of recommendation from
colleagues, peers and even adversaries who say they are better lawyers for having worked with the individual nominated.
MoreLucas: Maintaining your Thanksgiving state of mind
November 23, 2011
Kelly LucasIL Editor Kelly Lucas writes about keeping a focus on issues of importance and that maintain sense of gratitude.
MoreLucas: State bar emphasizes attorney wellness in 2012
November 9, 2011
Kelly LucasEditor Kelly Lucas writes about the Indiana State Bar Association's emphasis on attorney fitness and wellness.
MoreIL Editorial: The cynic asks: yVote! or why vote?
August 31, 2011
Editorial Indiana LawyerMarion County Clerk Beth White has started her yVote! program, which we believe to be a wonderful undertaking. She travels
to any Marion County high school that will have her in to teach civics.
MoreBarnes used as excuse to challenge merit selection
June 22, 2011
Editorial Indiana LawyerWe surmised it would only be a matter of time before the clamor began, but we were a little taken aback at how few days passed
after the Indiana Supreme Court decision in Barnes v. State was issued before a legislator told us he would put together
a proposal to change the merit selection process that’s been in place for our appellate courts for nearly 40 years.
MoreEditorial: Threats are inappropriate way to voice an opinion
May 25, 2011
Editorial Indiana LawyerWhat we want to address here is the troubling descent into madness that has appeared alongside the reasonable discourse on
the subject of the recent Indiana Supreme Court decision Barnes v. State .
MoreEditorial: Lake Co. merit selection is back on the table
April 27, 2011
Editorial Indiana LawyerIt’s at the end of House Bill 1266, and we have no idea whether the legislation has a chance at passage by the April
29 session deadline, but we had to go back and read it twice before we believed what we were seeing.
MoreEditorial: More of the same?
April 13, 2011
Editorial Indiana LawyerThey’re back, and like most citizens who watch with interest the goings on in the Indiana General Assembly, we’re
not sure it’s altogether a good thing.
MoreEditorial: In this war of words, will anyone win?
March 30, 2011
Editorial Indiana LawyerAt more than 30 days and counting, at least at Indiana Lawyer deadline, we’re not sure what will cause the
Democrats elected to the Indiana House of Representatives to return to their posts at the Statehouse.
MoreEditorial - SB 590: An Arizona-style invitation for litigation
March 16, 2011
The past weeks have brought heated debate about immigration policy to our state. The Indiana General Assembly is currently
considering various anti-immigrant bills. Among them is Senate Bill 590, modeled after Arizona’s immigration law. Currently
being challenged in Federal District Court on constitutional grounds, Arizona’s law has invited much criticism and proved
costly to the state’s economy. Indiana should not be next in line.
MoreEditorial: Stalemate leaves constituents without a voice
March 2, 2011
Editorial Indiana LawyerThere’s a lot of shouting and political posturing going on, but we’re not at all certain there’s much in
the way of listening and compromising taking place.
MoreEditorial: All who serve as judges should be lawyers
February 16, 2011
Judges Mark Stoner and Terry Shewmaker explain why a proposed bill would protect Hoosiers' rights by making sure that law-trained
judges preside over all cases in Indiana.
MoreEditorial: Home is where the heart is for Mr. Copsey
February 2, 2011
Editorial Indiana LawyerWe often think of law enforcement officers and firefighters as first-responder types who venture into situations where others
are reluctant to go. We’d like to expand the definition of first responder a bit, and bring your attention to an Indianapolis
lawyer who after retiring from his day job years ago decided he wasn’t quite done practicing law.
MoreEditorial: Subpoenas for advocates raise concerns
January 19, 2011
Editorial Indiana LawyerIn our culture, someone accused of a crime gets a vigorous defense to make certain all of the accused person’s constitutional
rights are protected. This is as it should be. Those faced with the loss of their liberty or life deserve no less than the
best defense that can be put forth.
MoreEditorial: Election Day 2010 provides cause for concern
December 8, 2010
Editorial Indiana LawyerHere's to hoping reason and sanity will prevail, but we're not holding our breath.
MoreEditorial: Human trafficking is local issue
November 10, 2010
Editorial Indiana LawyerIt’s a silent and devastating problem going on right under our noses, and it’s going to take courage and a willingness
to ask invasive and uncomfortable questions to stop it.
MoreEditorial: Ted Boehm not headed toward retirement
October 27, 2010
Editorial Indiana LawyerThis was one retirement ceremony we were not looking forward to attending, fearing that the gentleman stepping away from the
bench would slip away from public life and live quietly with his family, indulging his interests outside the law, while working
as a mediator at Van Winkle Baten Rimstidt and senior judging for the Indiana Court of Appeals.
MoreEditorial: New justice brings much to appreciate
September 29, 2010
Editorial Indiana LawyerThe state still needs to address the elephant in the room.
MoreEditorial: Maybe there's a reason she doesn't just leave
September 15, 2010
Editorial Indiana LawyerWhy doesn’t she just leave?
MoreEditorial: Preservation of judicial impartiality a win
September 1, 2010
Editorial Indiana LawyerHere at the newspaper, we don’t like to see anything put the brakes on the sharing of opinions.
MoreEditorial: Nature of work requires adequate safety plan
August 18, 2010
IL StaffA few days after then-U.S. District Court Judge David Hamilton ruled in late 2005 in Anthony Hinrichs, et al. v. Brian
Bosma, et al., that sectarian prayer could not be used to open legislative sessions, we received a phone call from someone
who wanted the judge’s e-mail address and contact information. We declined to give that information.
MoreEditorial: Remove obstacles that discourage voters
August 4, 2010
Editorial Indiana LawyerCasting a ballot in an election ought to be a simple thing for a citizen to do. But there are those who would make it as difficult
as possible for some to exercise their franchise.
MoreEditorial: Concerns about budget cuts warranted
July 21, 2010
Editorial Indiana LawyerWe believe the state of Indiana has hit bone with a budget cut instituted earlier this month.
MoreEditorial: Next choice for Indiana Supreme Court must be a woman
July 7, 2010
Editorial Indiana LawyerThe future is now for the high court.
MoreEditorial: New judges add more than needed diversity
June 23, 2010
Rebecca CollierThose of us on staff here at the newspaper that grew up in Indiana and were of a certain age to pay attention to the news
can likely recall when Judge Sarah Evans Barker was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
More
Sponsored by
on Facebook & Twitter
on Facebook & Twitter
Indiana Lawyer on Facebook
ADVERTISEMENT
Court Calendar
-
May 23, 2012 Covered Bridge Homeowners Association vs. Town of Sellersburg, Indiana - 5/23/12
-
June 1, 2012 Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co., et al. v. Michiana Contracting, et al. - 6/1/12
-
June 12, 2012 State of Indiana Military Department, et al. v. Continental Electric Co.
-
June 19, 2012 The City of Indianapolis v. National Trust Insurance Co., et al.
Indiana Lawyer Featured Advertisers
ADVERTISEMENT
Back to TopCopyright © All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use.
Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing.
Additional Hosting & Delivery by
G. Michael Witte letter states he's suspended for three years. The case that got him suspended is identical to my estate case, including havin the Late Judge Deiter recuse himself because Newman had a conflict of interest with the judge. His Modus Operandi is nearly identical.
SIGNED BY G. MICHAEL WITTE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY INDIANA SUPREME COURT DISCIPLINARY COMMISSION DATED MAY 17, 2012.
Your 6th complaint against Lawrence T. Newman filed on 4/12/2012. On 1/31/12, the Indiana Supreme Court entered an order suspending Lawrence T. Newman’s law license for a period of three years. More important, even after three years, Lawrence Todd Newman will not get his license back unless and until he goes through a separate proceeding to prove that he is fit to practice law. This is not an easy process, and the burden is upon Lawrence T. Newman to prove by clear and convincing evidence that he is fit to return to practice.
Because of the length of Lawrence T. Newman’s license suspension and the fact he may never succeed in getting his law license reinstated, we are not opening an investigation file at this time.
Should Lawrence T. Newman seek reinstatement in the future, we will open your file and ask Lawrence T. Newman to address your grievance as part of his burden of proving fitness. We have attempted to notify Lawrence T. Newman that this will be required of him.
It may disappoint you to hear that we will be doing nothing on your grievance at this time. However, the most our office can ever accomplish is to take away a lawyer’s license to practice law. We have already done that, albeit as a result of misconduct in cases other than your own. It makes better sense for our office to focus its limited resources on cases where the lawyers are still actively practicing law.
Is there any justice in the Marion County Superior Court Civil Division? I am the unfortunate victim of a retaliatory lawsuit brought by Lawrence Todd Newman, the attorney from an estate case on which I worked as a unsupervised personal representative in 2006. The contract agreement for that case stated that the estate would be responsible for all attorney fees, but Newman refused to close the nearly insolvent estate when my duties were complete and his fees were paid. Instead, he tried to extort additional attorney fees from me by keeping the case open to address a wrongful death claim, despite the estate’s heir’s lack of interest in pursuing it and an expert doctor’s opinion that it would not be worth doing so. He also knowingly deceived me into believing that a “closing statement” was needed to close the estate, even though this requirement had actually been waived by the estate’s heir. The heir’s attorney filed a motion to have Newman removed from the case. After the court closed the probate case with prejudice (barred from further litigation) Newman illegally re-opened the case in another courtroom.
As a result of complaints filed against him for these and similar actions, Newman has been suspended from practicing law for 18 months by the Indiana Disciplinary Commission. In retaliation, he has filed suit against me demanding additional attorney fees for the 2006 estate case, despite the fact that I made no agreement stating that I would pay any fees from my own assets on behalf of the estate. This lawsuit violates the rules of ethics, due process of law, and equal protection of law. Newman has been allowed to file ridiculous pleadings at an alarming rate and has been supported by a biased court system. Judge Carroll refuses to recuse himself from the case despite the fact that, by his own admission, he intends to grant Newman sanctions regardless of the evidence. When my former counsel discovered that the previous judge on the case, Judge Sosin, was a long-time close friend of Newman’s family, Judge Carroll commented for the record during a hearing that Judge Sosin in so many words “he finds the door “was weak for recusing himself from the case as a result of this obvious conflict of interest.
This case is a public policy issue. Statutes put in place to protect unsupervised personal representatives in probate matters are being ignored. This case will affect thousands of individuals involved in probating and the personal representation of estates. Justice cannot possibly be served as long as a biased judge is allowed to defend a “vexatious litigant,” as Newman has been described by Judge Logan in Bradenton, Florida court. If there is any justice in the Marion County Superior Court Civil Division, this case against me will be dismissed with prejudice.
Every affront to decency and every style adopted by criminals is not per se a constituttional violation. Only fools believe or espouse that.
This was an unnecessary change in law, a needless fiddling with a tax that impacted very very few hoosiers, but one that erodes a tax base benefitting very many hoosiers. Just because some people wanted to chalk up a "tax cut" on their legislative brag-list, and didnt give a fig about replacing the revenue any other way. Really stupid. I am a republican my whole life and this just shames me like hell. I have to use a fake name over this because I know my fellow republicans are all brain washed over tax cutting too.