People ask me when I might be retiring. I respond, “Why would I retire? I get to work every day with my friends who are my clients, they are all sophisticated, bright and fun to be with (well, most of them). … Why would I want to retire?”
I would encourage recent law school graduates to remain optimistic, work hard and network with as many attorneys as you can find since you never know when the next law firm or employer will need to hire a recent graduate.
2014 was an unbelievably good year. Lots of achievements by the IndyBar worthy of cheer.
While I am effectively a lame duck president writing this article and while my successor, John Trimble, effectively began his term at 12:01 AM on Jan. 1st, he is not sworn in until Jan. 29, 2015, and thus I have the role of continuing to write two more articles for your reading pleasure.
I recently led a panel discussion among three in-house attorneys, J. Scott Enright with Emmis Communications, Ann Dee with Duke Realty and Chad Pryor with HighPoint Global. The panel was convened in coordination with a corporate counsel survey conducted by the Indiana Lawyer and co-sponsored by Benesch.
Last month, Zeff Weiss, a friend of mine, a friend to his partners, a friend to the Real Estate and Land Use Section, a friend to many, and a father of four and husband of a fellow attorney passed away from a short battle with cancer.
If you did not attend the IndyBar Recognition Luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 13, you really missed out. We were able to recognize a select group of stellar performers to our profession and the IndyBar during the course of the year.
The IndyBar has looked at this issue for quite some time dating back to the early 1990s in an effort to establish a process where we could continue to have the same quality of judges currently on the bench while protecting the financial integrity of those attorneys who run for judge and creating an independent bench that can withstand scrutiny from the public.
This past week made two marks on my personal challenge to promote and encourage professionalism and civility.
Nearly one year ago, at our board retreat, we asked all of the board members to write down as many programs, projects and services that the IndyBar provided. Admittedly, many of us, yours truly included, were only able to name from some to substantially less than all of the amazing good deeds in which we participate.
I had the honor of attending law school orientation on Saturday, August 16 at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law. I sat on the dais with the Honorable Jose Salinas of Marion Superior Court, the Honorable Jane E. Magnus-Stinson of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana and McKinney School of Law Dean Andrew Klein.
Each quarter, I have the opportunity to listen to the chairs of all the Indianapolis Bar Association’s sections, committees and divisions describe accomplishments they have achieved during the past quarter as well as forecast great things to come throughout the balance of the year. There is some amazing work done by these groups – not all of which is known to our members.
Summertime is a wonderful time of the year. Not only are there so many things to do outside (when it finally stops raining), but there are also lots of great events with the IndyBar and Indianapolis Bar Foundation.
I just finished last weekend attending the 2014 Bench Bar and my expectations were wildly exceeded. I had numerous people tell me, our Executive Director Julie Armstrong, and our board members that this Bench Bar was the best that they had ever attended.
By the time you are reading this article, I will be on my way to the 21st Annual Bench Bar in Cincinnati, Ohio. So, I asked myself when I attended my first Bench Bar, what is a Benesch commercial real estate lawyer going to do at a Bench Bar Conference? The answer? Lots of things.
The Indianapolis Bar Association has had a long-time policy on addressing unjust criticism of the judicial system. While we have not needed to review very many cases, a recent case provided an unusual twist on the review of the judicial system.
May 1 is officially recognized as Law Day. The day is spent reflecting on the role of law in the pursuit of happiness in our everyday lives and recognizing the importance of law for our community.
he offices of the Indianapolis Bar Association first learned of the city’s interest in pursuing a Justice Center several months ago when they expressed interest in learning more about our task force work over the last 10 years.
So for all of you reading this article, if at some point in time you are asked to take over the helm of your firm, please consider it carefully, understanding the increased responsibilities but cherishing the opportunity if it is right for you.
After having the luxury of practicing law for over 30 years and looking back on the first few years of practice, there are several things that I have learned that I sure wish I had known as a young lawyer.