IN Bar Foundation awards $3.6M in legal aid grants as LSC warns House proposal would have ‘devastating impact’ on legal aid
The Indiana Bar Foundation announced it has awarded $3.6 million for civil legal services to 13 organizations.
Indianapolis Legal Aid Society
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More Indiana law firms returning to in-person work
Indiana law firms are either having attorneys and staff come back to office or making plans for a return in a few months. The firms contacted by The Indiana Lawyer are encouraging rather than requiring their employees to get vaccinated, and they have found most of their workforces have been inoculated.
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Helping legal aid: ILAS has full agenda to raise money, build its identity
Even as Indianapolis Legal Aid Society has been successful at bringing in more money from grants and private donors in recent years, the nonprofit is still facing an identity crisis with people getting confused about its name as well as the services it provides. The new chair of the nonprofit’s board of directors is launching an effort to clear the confusion and grow the contributions.
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Champions of legal aid, civics education honored
Reflecting his engineering roots, J. Mark Robinson offers a straightforward solution for the civil legal puzzle: real lawyers in real courtrooms representing real people on real legal issues. The Indiana legal profession recognized Robinson and his commitment by honoring him with the Randall T. Shepard Award for Excellence in Pro Bono. Robinson and other select members of the legal profession and educators were honored for their work in either civil legal aid or civic education at the Indiana Bar Foundation’s 2019 Awards Dinner.
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Articles
Costs often vary for divorce cases: Some file pro se, others seek legal aid or private attorneys
There’s an emotional cost that comes with a divorce, but the process also involves dollars and cents.
ILAS sets campaign goal of $300,000 to help serve indigent clients
The Indianapolis Legal Aid Society is hoping that as legal professionals make their year-end donations, they will remember to contribute to “the law firm for the poor.”
ILAS misses goal but reaps record donations
The Indianapolis Legal Aid Society did not get its wished-for amount from its 2021 holiday campaign, but the nonprofit still reaped a record $250,000-plus, which can be used to help with whatever problem walks in the door.
ILAS sets ambitious goal for annual holiday fundraiser
The cards have been mailed and the team captains continue to encourage colleagues to donate as the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society moves forward with a ramped-up holiday campaign that has a goal of raising $400,000 — nearly double the record amount received in 2020.
Despite small number of applications, pro bono publico making a difference
As of Nov. 24, the Indiana Roll of Attorneys listed just eight pro bono publico attorneys active in the state. While the number of applications has been low so far, Indiana Office of Admissions & Continuing Education Executive Director Bradley Skolnik said he believes the rule change is still making a difference.
Eviction court quick, sometimes painful process
In the rising tide of eviction filings in Indiana, the Wayne Township Small Claims Court in Indianapolis is waterfront property.
Picture-perfect anniversary: Indianapolis Legal Aid Society marks 80 years of representing low-income clients
On a sultry August afternoon, attorneys, administrative staff, board members and friends of the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society assembled on the steps of the nonprofit’s building and had their picture taken. The people had gathered to commemorate the 80th anniversary of ILAS.
Indy launches tenant advocate program as eviction moratorium ends
A new tenant advocate program will put a housing liaison in every small claims court in Marion County during an expected surge in evictions, Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration announced Thursday.
IndyBar Foundation offering solo/small firm grants again in 2021
The Indianapolis Bar Foundation is once again offering up to $2,500 to lawyers who work with local service providers to help central Indiana families in need of legal services related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Justices decline to shield COVID-19 stimulus checks from creditors
The Indiana Supreme Court has denied a petition from several legal aid providers and social service organizations asking the justices to protect the latest round of stimulus checks from being scooped up by debt collectors.
Indiana Supreme Court again asked to protect stimulus checks
A collection of Indiana agencies, including several legal aid providers, are asking the Indiana Supreme Court to help low-income Hoosiers by again blocking creditors from taking their new round stimulus payments that are being issued as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
ILAS gets $250,000 boost from Lilly Endowment
Indianapolis Legal Aid Society has received a $250,000 COVID-19 relief grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., providing much-needed support for legal assistance to low-income Hoosiers in central Indiana who have been acutely affected by the ongoing pandemic.
Pro Bono Matters: Expungement clinics a great chance to provide a second chance
In a world where everything you need to know about a person is in the palm of your hand, some Indiana citizens have a hard time leaving their past mistakes behind. In order to address this, many lawyers dedicate their pro bono efforts to assisting with expungement clinics, which help eligible prior offenders seal certain arrest and conviction records.
Record-setting fundraiser brings ‘breath of fresh air’
When planning for the 2020 holiday campaign started last February, Indianapolis Legal Aid Society had big ideas to host a kickoff party and enlist volunteers to talk to donors face-to-face with the goal of bringing in record contributions. Then the COVID-19 crisis changed everything. Despite the obstacles, the holiday fundraiser not only collected donations but surpassed the original goal of $225,000.
ILAS starts annual fundraiser amid growing need
For the first time in its history, the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society’s holiday dollar campaign is going virtual. The fundraiser has become a tradition since it was started in the mid-1990s but will be critical this season to meet the needs created by the pandemic.
Website offers help to renters facing eviction
Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic has partnered with the city of Indianapolis to create a special website to help Hoosiers around the state who are behind on rent and facing eviction.
Legal aid attorney Copsey remembered for housing legacy
Orville Copsey, Jr., an Indianapolis attorney whose work helping many elderly and disabled clients stay in their homes earned him the nickname “St. Orville,” died Aug. 4. He was 88. “We have lost a true gem in our legal community,” one attorney said in tribute.
As more creditors go to court, defaults increase
A new study from the Pew Charitable Trusts highlights a dramatic rise in debt collection lawsuits, but even as one in four cases on civil court dockets are seeking payment for past-due bills, consumers increasingly are absent from the proceedings.
Web Exclusive: IndyBar Foundation crisis fund benefits lawyers, Hoosiers in financial squeeze
In light of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Indianapolis Bar Foundation earlier this month implemented a new fund called the Crisis Empowerment Grant Program. The fund’s goal is two-fold: to put dollars in the pockets of lawyers who may be struggling to make ends meet while continuing to provide free legal services to central Indiana families through four local agencies.