“I’ve had a great career,” said longtime Whitley County attorney and prosecutor John Whiteleather, “and I hope I have contributed back to the community for what it provided to me.” Whiteleather’s colleagues on the bench and bar assure him that he did, recognizing him as the Indiana Bar Foundation’s 2019 Legendary Lawyer.
The conversation about civil legal aid in Indiana is still focused on money, but for the first time in nearly a decade, the talk is of dollars increasing rather than dwindling.
After six years of struggling to secure a win, one northern Indiana high school mock trial team is ready to stand up against the big dogs.
Having been involved in civic education in Indiana for almost 20 years, I welcome the recent increased attention on the need to have more civic education in our schools. Civic education holds us together as a state and country by giving us the tools we need to be informed and engaged citizens.
A recent study examined 12 separate legal services agencies around Indiana and calculated the organizations’ social return on investment. The group dug into the financials for the year 2017 and concluded that for every $1 invested in Indiana legal aid that year, the state received $6.70 in immediate and long-term financial benefits.
The Coalition for Court Access recently launched the website Indianalegalhelp.org. Now, Hoosiers needing help with a divorce, child custody issue, eviction or other civil legal problems have a new place to find answers and additional resources without having to make a phone call, schedule an appointment or even drive to a courthouse.
Hamilton County teams took home top honors in the Indiana We the People high school and middle school state finals held Sunday through Tuesday in Indianapolis. The first-place finishers now have the chance to compete for national titles.
The Indiana Bar Foundation's 2018 Awards Dinner honored Indiana attorneys, bar associations and teachers for their contributions to the foundation, the We the People program and the cause of justice across the state. The dinner, held Sunday night, also recognized this year's Bar Foundation Fellows and featured an announcement about the creation of a new endowment.
A small-town attorney with a folksy manner and sly wit, J. Lee McNeely never wanted to be anywhere other than his hometown of Shelbyville. The Indiana Bar Foundation named him the 2018 Legendary Lawyer in recognition of his public service, community service and contributions to the legal profession during more than 50 years of practice.
The National Association of IOLTA Programs grew up with nurturing care from the American Bar Association, but now, at 32 years of age, the nonprofit is having to become more responsible for its own needs as the ABA undergoes a major restructuring.
Indiana Trial Lawyers Association leaders said it was natural for the organization to pledge $25,000 for the national high school mock trial championships to be held in Evansville in May 2020.
Since the December 2017 creation of an endowment in honor of the late Larry McKinney, senior judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the fund is getting close to reaching the $20,000 milestone. The Honorable Larry J. McKinney Fund for Civic Education was started by the Indiana Bar Foundation to support civic educations programs like We the People and Indiana Mock Trial.
The fundraising for the 2020 National Mock Trial Championships, which be hosted in Evansville, has hit a milestone after the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association pledged $25,000 and became the first major sponsor of the event.
An Elkhart lawyer who teaches schoolchildren the value of voting is among six attorneys recognized by the Indiana Bar Foundation for their volunteer efforts.
To support its civic education programs, the Indiana Bar Foundation is starting an endowment and will name it after one of the civic education’s biggest cheerleaders – the late Larry McKinney, senior judge with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
Fifteen Hoosiers will be honored during the Indiana Bar Foundation’s recognition dinner in December for their contributions to the legal profession, pro bono legal services, civic education, and the public through community service.
The Indiana Bar Foundation’s 2017 Civic Health Index found Hoosiers were more actively participating in most aspects of community life than in past years, except for voting.
Evansville will host the National High School Mock Trial Championship in 2020, the Indiana Bar Foundation and the city of Evansville announced Monday.
Across Indiana, Hoosiers are committed to community involvement, with 40.2 percent of all Indiana residents belonging to at least one community organization, such as a church or neighborhood group. But while 61.4 percent of Americans voted in 2016, only 58.3 percent of Hoosiers did.
Indiana Legal Services is partnering with a Valparaiso-based health care provider to launch a first-of-its-kind medical-legal partnership program in northwest Indiana.