Latest News - The Indiana Lawyer

Talking honestly: New managing partner at Dentons’ Evansville office focused on well-being

May 11, 2022 | Marilyn Odendahl

Trisha Dudlo wants to have frank discussions. The 37-year-old is the new managing partner of Denton Bingham Greenebaum’s Evansville office and the first woman of color to hold that leadership position. Named the office chief in April, Dudlo is stepping into her role at the same time as she sees the legal profession rebuilding from the upheaval created by the pandemic and consequently having to do things “alarmingly different.”

Camper: Choosing the right clients as a solo practice or small firm

May 11, 2022 | Justin Camper

How to choose the right clients as a solo practice or small firm? This is the million-dollar question. If every law firm owner could answer this question perfectly, every attorney would be a million-dollar partner at a law firm. Not choosing the right clients could be No. 1 at destroying your practice or firm. Surprisingly, the topic, “How to choose the right clients” is a discussion that is uncommon among lawyers.

Profitable change: Solo, small firm attorneys see upsides to payment, firm administration changes during pandemic

May 11, 2022 | Katie Stancombe

Roughly half of all small firms reported in Thomson Reuters’ 2021 State of U.S. Small Law Firms study that they endured a moderate or significant struggle in getting paid by clients over the last two years. Many also expressed concerns about acquiring new business. But those firms that created a concentrated approach to addressing their payment challenges saw quick, positive results.

Huettner: Quick tips for starting and growing a law practice

May 11, 2022 | Samantha Huettner

Owning a business can be richly rewarding. Law firm owners can define the scope of their practice, pick a target market, set their own hours and enjoy the creativity involved in implementing a corporate vision. With technological advancements and a move to web-based work and communication in recent years, starting a law firm has become increasingly accessible for attorneys seeking the unique benefits of small business ownership.

Covington: An introvert’s conversations with Leadership in Law winners

May 11, 2022 | Olivia Covington

While I had mentally prepared myself with things to say to this year’s Leadership in Law honorees to keep the conversations from lagging (because of me, not them) I was pleasantly surprised to find that the two days I spent chatting with this year’s winners as they recorded videos and had photos taken passed with surprising ease. Turns out, when you hang out with highly-accomplished individuals, you can find a lot to talk about naturally.

Wilson: Unique challenges facing solo and small firm attorneys

May 11, 2022 | Scott Wilson

One of the great aspects of practicing law is the wide variety of ways to make it happen. Whether you are in-house counsel, legal services, a big firm associate, prosecutor, public defender, government lawyer, judge or a solo practitioner, the ways we as lawyers ensure access to, and the delivery of, justice are myriad. Although there are many common elements to each form of practice, there are challenges and opportunities that are unique to each, and the solo or small firm lawyer holds a special place in this cohort of practice options.

Web Exclusive: Putting your best foot forward in networking

May 11, 2022 | Katie Stancombe

Stepping out of one’s comfort zone can be challenging, especially when you are expected to converse with other attorneys you don’t know. Regardless, lawyers are often expected to engage in mingling — dreaded or not.

IndyBar: Guest Column: Better Together: An Indy Legal Alliance

May 11, 2022 | From IndyBar

The mission of Indy Legal Alliance is to promote and support a thriving, diverse, equitable and inclusive Indianapolis legal community that works together to support law students and lawyers and advance justice in the broader community.

Becker: Challenges in running a small firm during COVID

May 11, 2022 | Carl Becker

When you are a small firm, you become fully familiar with each person in the office, including knowing and caring about each person’s family. As such, the first and most important decisions during COVID were to protect the health of our staff and their families.

IndyBar: Community Justice Center Nomad Training at IndyBarHQ

May 11, 2022 | From IndyBar

The Indianapolis Bar Association and Nomad AV Systems will host training sessions at IndyBarHQ (140 N. Illinois St.) on Thursday, May 19, and Friday, May 20, for attorney members of the Indianapolis Bar Association, the Marion County Bar Association, the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Indiana and support staff.

Overextended: Indiana trial courts strain under justice gaps, lack of legal resources

May 11, 2022 | Katie Stancombe

Getting legal resources to low-income litigants is a major struggle both nationally and on Hoosier soil. According to the Legal Services Corporation 2022 Justice Gap Report, low-income Americans do not get any or enough legal help for 92% of their substantial civil legal problems.

Hogue: Finding my ‘Hamburger University’: 5 nuggets I’ve learned

May 11, 2022 | Thakena Hogue

A friend of mine owns a McDonald’s and has told me that McDonald’s requires its franchise owners to complete a training program called “Hamburger University.” He explained that Hamburger University teaches the franchise owner about the “system” of McDonald’s. In some ways, launching my own firm has been like what I imagined about “Hamburger University.”

Angry trial judge calls for changes to civil litigation system: Insurance companies faulted for pursuing frivolous claims

May 11, 2022 | Marilyn Odendahl

By the third paragraph of the April order granting summary judgment to the defendants, Carroll Circuit Judge Benjamin Diener showed his frustration by declaring, “The civil litigation process in Indiana is broken.”

Owner of fieldhouse in Grand Park nears resolution with developer of $42M youth sports park in Auburn

May 10, 2022 | Alex Brown, Inside Indiana Business

The owner of Pacers Athletic Center in Westfield is nearing a resolution to a lawsuit filed against its former operations chief and the developer of a planned $42 million sports park in northeast Indiana.

Kamish, Major, Marchal named finalists for Marion Superior Court vacancy

May 10, 2022 | IL Staff

Two Hoosier lawyers and a magistrate judge have been selected by the Marion County Judicial Selection Committee as the final candidates to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Marion Superior Court.

NLRB upholds ‘successor bar doctrine’ in Mooresville union dispute

May 10, 2022 | Marilyn Odendahl

The Teamsters will continue to represent the workers at the US Brick operation in Mooresville after a split National Labor Relations Board denied a request for review of a decision and order that found the successor bar doctrine blocked a decertification vote.

Indiana leads 18-state amicus brief siding with Texas heartbeat abortion law

May 10, 2022 | IL Staff

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and 17 other states have filed an amicus brief before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in support of a controversial Texas abortion law that makes abortion illegal in that state after heartbeat activity is detected in an embryo.

7th Circuit rules immigrant did not offer evidence to support CAT claim

May 10, 2022 | Marilyn Odendahl

A Kenyan citizen, who is trying to avoid deportation after committing a “particularly serious crime,” has had his claim for relief under the Convention Against Torture denied by the 7^th Circuit Court of Appeals because he failed to provide the necessary supporting evidence.

Public comment sought on proposed trial procedure rule concerning constitutionality challenges

May 10, 2022 | IL Staff

The Indiana Supreme Court is seeking public comment on a newly proposed constitutionality challenge rule to the Indiana Rules of Trial Procedure.

Alabama jailbreak mystery deepens as manhunt ends with death in Evansville

May 10, 2022 | Associated Press

The death of an Alabama jailer found shot in the head with a gun in her hand after a weeklong manhunt has only deepened the mystery of why a trusted official would help free a hulking murder suspect with a violent and frightening history.

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