Some relief may be on the way for employers worried about a wave of federal lawsuits over tobacco surcharges they add for people covered by their health plans. Writer Tom Murphy reports that about 50 lawsuits have popped up around the country in recent years contesting these surcharges, including one case filed in May against Elkhart’s Patrick Industries Inc. Also, reporter Maura Johnson talks with Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law professor Lloyd T. Wilson Jr., better known as Tom Wilson, who has served McKinney students since 1999 and is retiring.

If Thomas Estabrook gets his law license, he will be the only practicing attorney in the town of Bicknell, which has a population of more than 3,000 people. Not coincidentally, Estabrook also is the town's mayor. Cameron Shaw has more on the story. Also in this week's issue, Maura Johnson reports on the state's efforts to assess how judicial officers can address issues of behavioral health directly in and through their courtrooms.

A South Bend woman wants the city to pay for the damage done to her home with the police raided it looking for a man she didn't know and wasn't there. The city has refused. And so Amy Hadley is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in. Reporter Cameron Shaw explores the arguments. Plus, reporter Maura Johnson talks with a Pulaski County judge about the award she received for the Veterans Treatment Court she helped establish in 2018.

Taft has been on an acquisition spree for several years, catapulting the company to No. 61 on the Am Law 200 list. But it's latest expansion into New York City isn't due to a combination. Taft has hired a team and set up shop in Manhattan. Reporter Maura Johnson talks with Taft Managing Partner Bob Hicks about the moves. Plus, reporter Cameron Shaw writes about a new initiative that aims to boost pro bono work in Indiana.

In 2009, a freshly graduated Jason Flora opened a law firm on the west side of Indianapolis near Hispanic-run car lots, Honduran restaurants and Guatemalan grocery stores. In its early days,  Flora, who speaks Spanish fluently, working 60 hours or more a week, driving back and forth between Chicago’s immigration court and his office. But now, Flora Legal Group is home to 20 attorneys and about 120 staff members — 200% more staff than it had six years prior. And its revenue grew nearly 250% during a two-year period between 2023 and 2025 to $12.2 million. The firm’s rapid growth has earned it a third-place spot on IBJ’s Fast 25 list, which recognizes central Indiana’s fastest-growing companies — and a profile below by reporter Cameron Shaw. Also this week, Hancock County last month became the first county in the state to publish a dashboard reflecting data on how the Prosecutor's Office handles criminal felony and misdemeanor cases. Reporter Maura Johnson explores what the tool provides to taxpayers and how it was developed.

The majority of Indiana hospitals don't have nurses on staff that are specially trained to deal with sexual assault victims, a problem the Indiana SANE Training Project is trying to address. Writer Mitzi Morris explains why the nurses are important and previews an upcoming conference about the issue. Plus, reporter Cameron Shaw spoke this week with Rick Hall, the chair and Kim Blanchet, the vice chair of Barnes & Thornburg’s government services and public finance team, which just made a huge move by hiring 39 attorneys from national firm Ballard Spahr.

With the month of May just weeks away, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Senior Corporate Counsel Jimmie McMillian talks with The Indiana Lawyer's Maura Johnson about the Indianapolis 500, the upcoming Freedom 250 in Washington, D.C., and why he loves interacting with motorsports fans. Plus, reporter Cameron Shaw checks in on a backlog of criminal cases in counties across Indiana.

As Indianapolis welcomes the men’s college basketball championship tourney this weekend, another springtime ritual associated with the NCAA has been playing out largely behind the scenes. Greg Weaver writes about how the Indianapolis-based nonprofit has been taking several aggressive steps in the tournament’s host city and across the nation to protect its branding and stop the unauthorized commercial use of its familiar trademarked phrases such as “Final Four” and “March Madness.” Plus, reporter Maura Johnson takes a look at secondary trauma, a problem that has been quietly impacting attorneys’ well-being for several decades, marking the legal profession with anxieties and physical symptoms much like those in the medical profession.