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The Indiana State Bar Association made changes at the top last week as members from each corner of the Hoosier State met in the Circle City to recap the organization’s past year and formally appoint members to leadership positions for 2022-2023.
On Thursday and Friday, ISBA members gathered at The Alexander hotel in downtown Indianapolis for the organization’s annual summit. Like the 2021-2022 meeting, ISBA members attended both in person and virtually for the streamlined event.
On Friday, both the ISBA House of Delegates and assembly meetings were held.
During his report at the HOD meeting, outgoing ISBA president Clayton Miller said that due to “careful budgeting” the ISBA “finished in the black” for this past fiscal year. He added that ISBA programs, both in person and online, attracted more than 12,500 individuals.
One of the highlights of the past year for the association, Miller said, was the opening of its brand new 5,000-square-foot office at 201 N. Illinois St. in the Capital Center in downtown Indianapolis.
Additionally, he said, the ISBA has continued to work with Indiana’s law schools and encouraged current and former lawyers to stay active and engaged with the association
To conclude remarks, Miller quoted a speech by Indiana Southern District Court Senior Judge Sarah Evans Barker from Indiana Lawyer’s 2022 Leadership in Law event that touched on the importance of the work of lawyers and judges to the republic. Barker was the 2022 Leadership in Law Lifetime Achievement Award winner.
Later in the meeting, Indiana Chief Justice Rush gave a report from the Indiana Supreme Court.
Rush told the crowd that 1.1 million cases were electronically filed last year along with 8.2 million documents. She said 60 million people visited mycase.in.gov.
Prior to the meeting, Rush said she spoke with Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb about judiciary funding and how she sees the courts as “engines of economic prosperity.”
“I told the governor this morning (Oct. 14) … we should not be treated as if we’re just another agency. We’re a branch of government,” Rush said. “Our whole budget is less than 1%.”
Among a variety of topics, Rush: said the Supreme Court is making a bigger push for commercial courts; touched on this week’s Mental Health Summit in Indianapolis, which will gather roughly 900 people from across the state; and encouraged attendees to comment on a proposed rule for online proceedings.
For its part, Indiana Bar Foundation representatives during the meeting, among numerous points, discussed the need for pro bono services and the creation of the Pro Bono Academy and Resource Center, which will help connect attorneys with resources and training. Representatives also discussed indianalegalhelp.org and its role in helping Hoosiers, and the services indiana.freelegalanswers.org can provide.
Joe Skeel, ISBA executive director, also gave a presentation on workforce challenges and the differences the legal profession is seeing among attorneys from different generations. Skeel said the newest crop of lawyers are looking for more flexibility between office and remote work, more leadership roles and more professional development, among other focus points.
At the end of the meeting, Monroe Circuit Court Judge Holly Harvey passed the gavel to Angka Hinshaw to become House of Delegates chair, and Séamus Boyce was selected as the new chair-elect.
ISBA board members for the upcoming year were announced during the assembly meeting later in the afternoon. During that time, Amy Noe Dudas, a solo practitioner from Richmond, officially became ISBA president.
Below are the ISBA leaders for the coming year:
ISBA 2022-23 leadership
President: Amy Noe Dudas, Richmond
President-elect: Senior Judge Tom Felts, Fort Wayne
Vice president: Michael Jasaitis, Crown Point
Secretary: Scott Wylie, Evansville
Treasurer: Tonya Bond, Indianapolis
Counsel to the president: Jim Williams, Muncie
Board of Governors
1st District: Candace Williams, Gary
2nd District: Barbra Stooksbury, Chesterton
3rd District: Joe Fullenkamp, South Bend
4th District: Lindsay Lepley, Fort Wayne
5th District: Cliff Robinson, Rensselaer
6th District: Julia Kozicki, Carmel
7th District: Anne McFadden, Bloomington
8th District: Raymond Dudlo, Evansville
9th District: Derrick Wilson, New Albany
10th District: Melissa Cunnyngham, Frankfort
11th District:
- Colin Flora, Indianapolis
- Ann Sutton, Indianapolis
- Jimmie McMillian, Indianapolis
At-Large District:
- Renee Ortega, Hammond
- Mike Witte, Nineveh
House of Delegates chair: Angka Hinshaw, Indianapolis
House of Delegates chair-elect: Séamus Boyce, Indianapolis
Young Lawyers Section chair: Brandon Tate, Indianapolis
Young Lawyers Section observer: Adrienne Rines-Hammond, Marion
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