Two trial court judges with a breadth of experience hearing criminal and civil matters and a public defender who’s tried hundreds of appeals are finalists to be the next Indiana Court of Appeals judge. Indiana Tech Law School plans on reapplying for provisional accreditation after the ABA denied its first application. Immunity laws are flourishing in Indiana.

Law firm websites have come a long way since the mid-1990s, when sites, such as Ice Miller LLP’s, featured mostly text and simple graphics. The Indiana Supreme Court has pulled the plug on an audio-video transcript pilot project. Longtime criminal defense attorney Robert Hammerle has joined Indianapolis firm Pence Hensel.

Indianapolis attorney and Marine Corps veteran Ed Smid has made it his mission to see that those who died in Afghanistan and Iraq are remembered and honored. In doing so, he’s also strengthened bonds among families of the fallen and provided valuable aid to survivors. Corporate clients are reshaping big law firms, seeking quality work but at cheaper prices. Blogs allow attorneys to market their services, find clients and express themselves.

The Mediation Assistance Program in the Southern District of Indiana, which appoints pro bono counsel to help litigants settle cases, setttled 28 out the 43 cases MAP counsel worked on in 2013. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals isn't sure why the Supreme Court of the United States sent the Notre Dame contraception mandate challenge back to the lower court for another look. Nearly 25 years after graduating law school, four IU McKinney alumns reflect on their careers.

A retired lawyer is among the elite few to participate in every 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, which began in 1977. Bettie Page’s name and image popularized by once-scandalous pinups from the 1940s and 1950s remain hot properties still able to stir up trouble. The integration between Eskenzi Health and Indiana Legal Services coupled with the sustained effort to remedy the Medicaid waiver issue earned the Midtown Partnership national recognition.

Both sides say the courts will have a central role in interpreting Indiana’s amended Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Elder law, a practice area that started in the late 1980s, has grown quite a bit in the last 25 years. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals recently heard arguments on whether the Marion Superior judicial election system should be tossed out.

Data breaches, like the recent one at the insurance giant Anthem Inc., raise the legal question of whether those affected suffered harm under the law. The recent convictions and appeals by the "Elkhart Four" shines a new spotlight on the state's felony murder statute. A 37-year fight over a landfill in Anderson has ended quietly.

A legislative proposal introduced this session would allow Indiana businesses to battle patent trolls in state courts. The cost of a legal education has skyrocketed over the last decade, leading to the creation of an American Bar Association task force on the subject. A Merrillville attorney accused of theft from clients and a former associate – who was suspended by the Indiana Supreme Court recently – has yet to be criminally charged.

Of the billions of text messages sent daily in the world, a few will wind up as evidence in litigation. A few that should will not, and that could mean trouble for lawyers. Twenty-five years ago, Marion County decided to create domestic relations courts. They didn't last, but some counties still funnel these cases to specific judges. Bills in the General Assembly to raise minimum wage in Indiana will go unheard. But supporters say the language may be able to be inserted in a separate bill in the future.

Commercial courts heralded by Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush in her first State of the Judiciary address could be in business soon, with the first pilots launching as early as this summer, according to judges and lawyers involved in developing the plans. In our 25th anniversary story, reporter Marilyn Odendahl takes a look at firm overhead costs over the past 25 years. The mandatory pro bono rule is currently undergoing tweaks to address concerns raised by attorneys.