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The Indiana Lawyer next month will honor 34 members of the legal community at its Leadership in Law event.
Leadership in Law recognizes practitioners who have shown a commitment to their profession and the clients and communities they serve. The Lawyer has honored the legal community with Leadership in Law honors since 2006.
There are three categories — Distinguished Barristers, Up & Coming Lawyers and Legal Support Stars — in addition to honors for lifetime achievement.
The honorees will be celebrated at a May 26 breakfast event at The Indiana Roof Ballroom, 140 W. Washington St.
This year, The Indiana Lawyer will recognize two lifetime achievement honorees: James Bopp Jr., principal attorney of The Bopp Law Firm PC, and Kenneth J. Falk, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana.
The award recognizes attorneys with at least 25 years of experience in the profession and who have made contributions beyond the practice of law.
Bopp is a noted conservative voice whose practice areas include campaign finance and election law and constitutional law litigation, primarily regarding the First Amendment. He has been involved with more than a dozen cases that have been heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, including the landmark 2010 Citizens United v. FEC ruling, which held that companies and unions could contribute to political committees during active campaigns. As general counsel for the National Right to Life Committee, Bopp was responsible for developing and implementing the legal strategy that eventually led to the overturning of Roe V. Wade in 2022. He was a member of the 2025 Leadership in Law class of Distinguished Barristers.
Falk’s work as legal director of the ACLU of Indiana also involves constitutional issues, which of late have included litigation involving reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, disability rights and the First Amendment. He, too, has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and was involved in the 2000 City of Indianapolis v. Edmond ruling, which held that highway checkpoint programs aimed at interdicting illegal drugs are unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment. Prior to joining the ACLU, Falk served as litigation director for the Indiana Legal Services Agency, a nonprofit that provides free legal assistance to low-income Hoosiers. He was a member of the 2006 Leadership in Law class of Distinguished Barristers.
The Distinguished Barristers award honors attorneys who have practiced law for at least 20 years. This year’s honorees are:
- George Thimlar Angelone, executive director, Indiana Legal Services Agency
- Trevor Belden, partner, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
- Jayna Cacioppo, partner, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
- Marie Castetter, securities commissioner, Indiana Secretary of State’s Office, Securities Division
- Jim Coles, counsel, Densborn Blachly LLP
- Rodney Cummings, elected prosecutor, Madison County
- Mark Dinsmore, magistrate judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- Greg J. Duncan, partner, Dentons
- Nicole Finelli, partner, Krieg DeVault LLP
- Kevin K. Fitzharris, attorney, Barrett McNagny LLP
- Gregory M. Gotwald, partner, Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP
- Offer Korin, member, Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC
- Andi M. Metzel, partner and chair, Taft Indianapolis litigation practice group, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
- Lyndsay H. Miller, chief legal and risk officer, Everwise Credit Union
- Ryan McCabe Poor, partner, Ice Miller LLP
- Angela Warner Sims, judge, Madison County Circuit Court 1
The Up & Coming Lawyers category is reserved for attorneys who have practiced for 10 years or fewer. This year’s honorees are:
- Cody Coldren, Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP
- Sarah Correll, associate, Ice Miller LLP
- Casey Cox, general counsel and chief administrative officer, Star Financial Group
- Kristina Frey, assistant division chief, family preservation division, Marion County Public Defender Agency
- Kristine Gordon, senior associate, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
- LaToya Jointer, owner and attorney at law, Highsaw Jointer Law
- Travis D. Lovett, senior associate, Krieg DeVault LLP
- Thomas Ludwiski, Barrett McNagny LLP
- Jackson Schroeder, partner, Bose McKinney & Evans LLP
- James R. Strickland, associate, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Legal Support Stars are nonlawyer professionals who have served in a legal support capacity for at least five years. They are:
- Erica Clark, paralegal, Ice Miller LLP
- Sandra L. Kays, paralegal, Dentons
- Amber May, paralegal, Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP
- Angela Rinehart, senior litigation paralegal, Wagner Reese LLP
- Kelly Sharpe, director of business development, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
- Jessica R. Wingate, paralegal, Church Church Hittle + Antrim
Honorees were selected by a panel of IBJ Media leaders, newsroom editors and former Leadership in Law honorees.
In addition to the event, they’ll be featured in The Indiana Lawyer on May 29.
Tickets for the May 26 event are $75 for subscribers. Corporate tables of 10 may also be purchased. They start at $1,350.
For more information about the event and to purchase tickets, visit theindianalawyer.com/events/2026/leadership-in-law.
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