Articles

Diversity, mental health CLEs divide ISBA House of Delegates

The 2018 Indiana State Bar Association annual meeting began last week with an intense debate in the House of Delegates over a proposal designed to make a statement about the bar’s position on hot-button topics: should attorneys be required to attend CLE programs about diversity and mental health issues?

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7th Circuit upholds judgment for Pearson on sex discrimination claim

A former employee of Pearson Education, Inc. has lost her sex discrimination appeal against the educational products supplier after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the woman failed to show she was similarly situated to three male employees she claimed were treated better than her.

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FedEx drivers get tentative $13.3M ERISA settlement

A proposed workplace-benefits settlement of more than $13.3 million for Federal Express drivers who were wrongly classified as contractors rather than employees has been approved by an Indiana federal judge overseeing a nationwide docket of employment suits against the delivery service.

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Hoosier law firms promoting women leadership before, after #MeToo

Across Indianapolis, women were being tapped to lead their law firms before the #MeToo movement, either as practice group chairs, committee leaders, managing partners or a combination. But the movement has sparked additional conversations in their law firms, giving credence to gender equality efforts that were already in place.

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Report: Employment rate rises with J.D. class of 2017

Overall employment for class of 2017 law school graduates only increased by 1 percentage point, even though the number of jobs found by graduates fell again by more than 1,200 compared with 2016 numbers, according to a report released Thursday.

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Working hard or hardly working: Survey says half of partners not busy

It’s frustrating for any high-performing employee: You’re glued to your computer, fingers furiously flying across the keyboard to finish your report, brief or project. Then you look over and see a co-worker chatting with a friend, playing on their phone or scrolling through their Facebook feed, seemingly without a care or a deadline to meet.

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Hiring improves for smaller law school Class of 2017

The Class of 2017 graduating from Indiana law schools followed the national trend of being smaller than the previous class and posting better jobs numbers, but the Hoosier graduates moved in the opposite direction by posting a slight increase in unemployment, according new data released from the American Bar Association.

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Ex-partners, Krieg DeVault settle compensation lawsuit

Three former Krieg DeVault LLP partners who sued the firm alleging they were denied compensation when they moved to new firms — and then faced a countersuit from their former employer — have confidentially settled the litigation, court records show.

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Taft moves to single-class partnership structure

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP announced Wednesday the firm has adopted a new one-class partnership structure. This move eliminates the two-tier system — equity and non-equity — that had been in place at the firm for more than a quarter-century.

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Pass-through tax break passes over attorneys

The sweeping changes that came with the overhaul of the federal tax system included a deduction for pass-through businesses, but attorneys and other professional service providers were brushed aside and likely will not be able to reap that tax break.

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Study: Many law firms unprepared for future challenges

Are law firms simply fighting the last war? Are they preparing for the future, or are they stuck in the past? Those questions are at the center of a report released Thursday that focues on stagnating demand growth, declines in productivity and a rise in expenses.

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Law firm outlook for 2018 focuses on strengths, retaining talent

Major Lindsey & Africa, a recruitment and consulting firm for the legal industry, has released its 2018 Industry Outlook report outlining what law firms can expect in the new year. In short, law firms will remain under increasing pressure to keep costs low and productivity high, so firms are expected to focus on core strengths and retaining key personnel.

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