The Indiana Lawyer's Maura Johnson talks with experts about the increasing use of artificial intelligence among defendants who are representing themselves and what standards they should be held to. And reporter Cameron Shaw looks at what percentage of students graduating from Indiana's law schools are staying in the state. Regular readers won't be surprised by which school sees most of its graduates stay in state.
As the state continues to seek solutions to the ongoing attorney shortage, the Indiana State Bar Association has introduced an approach to directly support attorneys working in rural counties. Reporter Maura Johnson reports that in July, the bar association will launch its first-ever Rural Practice Academy, an 11-month fellowship during which members can learn from legal professionals and one another how to build and sustain legal practices in small communities. And reporter Cameron Shaw offers the latest on immigration legislation that could receive final approval next week.
In this week's issue, reporter Maura Johnson talks to a 31-year-old attorney who has been dubbed the "expungement queen" and specializes in helping people who have been convicted of crimes get a fresh start. And writer Sam Stall tells the story of Chanel Parker, who has spent nearly 20 years working at the Marion Superior Court Youth Services Center.
In this week's issue, reporter Cameron Shaw explores a proposed constitutional amendment that would give judges authority to keep some defendants in jail without bail if they fear they are dangerous. And writes about the implications of legislation that would set new rules for bail if voters give the constitutional amendment final approval. Also, reporter Maura Johnson looks at efforts at the state and federal level to increase security for judges.
With ongoing concerns for youth safety on its radar, the Marion County Superior Court developed a new initiative to reform juvenile justice—and it’s entirely outside of a courtroom. The Marion County Family Youth and Intervention Center, which opened last fall on the east side of Indianapolis, was created to divert juveniles from the justice system early by giving those in crisis a safe place to spend their time. Reporter Cameron Shaw explores the new initiative. And Maura Johnson talks Faegre Drinker partner Brittney Yocum about her turn into corporate law and her work as a mergers and acquisitions specialist.
As changes in the immigration court system create uncertainty for detainees, immigration attorneys are now turning to a 200-year-old American legal doctrine to get their clients released from detention facilities across the country. Reporter Cameron Shaw writes that the doctrine, known as a writ of habeas corpus, has typically been used as a last-ditch effort to give those behind bars a chance to present their case before a federal district judge and force the government to explain why a person’s detention is legal. Now, attorneys are using it as a fast-pass ticket to seek a district court order that forces immigration judges to grant detainees a bond hearing or order their release. Also, reporter Maura Johnson writes about Griffin Tichenor, who is advocating for federal legislation that would require technology to help vehicles detect cyclists and prevent the kind of crash that killed two of his riding partners.
From the immigration crackdown that brought hundreds of detainees to Indiana jails to the firing of public employees for their social media posts on the Charlie Kirk assassination to the Indiana Senate’s rejection of mid-cycle redistricting, the state saw plenty of legal news in 2025. The staff of The Indiana Lawyer picked the state’s Top 10 legal stories of the year. See which story we chose, and also peruse a list of the most-read stories on our website. In our regular news section, you can learn from Managing Editor Daniel Carson about the how President Donald Trump's executive order on artificial intelligence is affecting the advise attorneys are giving their business clients. Reporter Cameron Shaw helps you prepare for the 2026 session of the Indiana General Assembly by examining five legal issues lawmakers are expected to tackle, and Reporter Maura Johnson provides an update on the new e-filing system being developed for the state's courts.
Fort Wayne is the latest target of Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita's expanding inquiry into the potential labor trafficking of undocumented immigrants. Managing Editor Daniel Carson explores why Rokita is continuing to use civil investigative demands, a sort of civil subpoena, to seek information in the immigration-related probe despite the approach being successfully challenged in court in Evansville. Reporter Maura Johnson takes a look at the quickly rising number of problem-solving courts across Indiana and how their efforts to help substance abusers and others is requiring a search for alternative funding sources. In Focus, reporter Cameron Shaw examines how the Legislature's efforts to reallocate judges to fast-growing counties is impacting rural communities.
Political critics of Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita have plenty to say about his new policy that prohibits state contracts from going to law firms that have what Rokita calls "illegal" diversity, equity and inclusion practices, reporter Cameron Shaw found. But the state's major law firms are opting to keep quiet. On the M&A front, Managing Editor Daniel Carson reports that an increasing number of nonprofits are merging or considering new combinations amid rising costs. In criminal law, reporter Maura Johnson examines the state's "stand your ground" law and how it could make or break the defense of a Whitestown man accused of shooting and killing a cleaning lady who mistakenly arrived at his house and tried to unlock the front door.
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling from 1935 that found a Hoosier member of the Federal Trade Commission was improperly fired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt has protected leaders of independent federal agencies from being dismissed by new administrations for decades. But, as Managing Editor Daniel Carson reports, that could change as the case of another FTC commissioner fired by President Donald Trump heads to the nation's high court. Speaking of protections, Hoosiers will gain some new ones as the state's new data security law takes effect Jan. 1. Reporter Cameron Shaw has the details. In Focus, reporter Maura Johnson introduces you to the incoming president of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana.