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Maley: Pro bono appointments are necessary obligation for justice

| John Maley

I’m still processing the news that this morning my court-appointed death-row client, Wesley Purkey, was executed. I was his pro bono counsel on three civil-rights/conditions of confinement claims in the Southern District of Indiana. So as I wrestle now — and hopefully for some time — with the legal and moral aspects of capital punishment that otherwise have been remote, it seems appropriate and timely to discuss the needs and opportunities for pro bono service in civil cases in our local federal courts. Both are robust.

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Hammerle on… President Trump and the national loss of honor and dignity

| Robert Hammerle

I write this article on the day our federal government executed the first prisoner in 17 years. His name was Danny Lee, and he was put to death in Terre Haute, Indiana. Our state. The original judge, prosecutor and victims’ family opposed killing Lee because the co-defendant was more culpable and received life in prison. They were ignored while our president had time to commute the sentence of his buddy Roger Stone. No time for Lee, however.

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Betz: Real, specific demands to confront systemic racism in Indiana

| Kevin Betz

The Black Lives Matter movement jolted us from our self-satisfied stasis. But to change things, we must do things. If silence is violence, then speaking without specifics is only nominally better. To bring the justice protesters so desire, it is time to recognize the deeply embedded systemic racism in Indiana and develop a list of specific demands to yield measurable results. The risk of not doing so is too great: the country simply cannot become further torn over racial injustice.

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DTCI: Finding gratitude for the practice of law in difficult times

| From DTCI

Practicing law occupies your mind. Being a lawyer has been described as a thinking job and not just a doing job. Lately the news around us has been horrible, and the decisions we face about tasks as simple as buying groceries have been daunting. In these times, I have found my law practice to be a welcome respite from the world around me.

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Hammerle on… Baseball

| Robert Hammerle

“Field of Dreams” (1989) captures the essence of baseball. The immortal line, “If you build it, he will come,” will always reminds me of my late father. As kids, he played catch with me and my brothers in a field near our house, and I still see him waving at me when I drive by that location in Batesville. As baseball tries to play a short season, I am reminded of my love of the game.

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JLAP: Of course I heard you. What did you say?

I’m a lawyer, so I’m a good communicator, right? Or at least I have been conditioned to believe that. In my own practice, I listen and respond to arguments all the time. Reflecting on my personal interactions, I would like to think that I take the time to look and listen to the person I am speaking with. So what more could I do? Doesn’t this mean I’m a good listener? If attorneys are supposedly so good at communicating, do I know what am I actually communicating when I interact with colleagues, coworkers and clients?

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Blaiklock and Whybrew: COVID-19 and force majeure in the manufacturing context

The global COVID-19 pandemic ground the world economy to a virtual halt in many sectors, including manufacturing. Many manufacturing lines slowed to a crawl or stopped completely. Travel became practically impossible, if not prohibited by various government orders. Despite that, supply contracts remain in place. What impact COVID-19 has on the legal relationships between customers and manufacturers will depend primarily on the presence — and nature — of force majeure clauses in the governing documents.

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Bravo: ‘Failure to speak up would let down’ the legal community

| Karen E. Bravo

When I recently saw the video of George Floyd’s extrajudicial killing by law enforcement, a familiar sense of anguish, fury, hopelessness, and malaise swept over me. So did a sense of helplessness. We had seen this video before, over the long and many years. We had read this story. And yet, I had never before witnessed such a starkly calm extinguishment of a human life — a Black human life.

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Quick: Best marketing during pandemic — Lend a hand

| Jon Quick

During this unprecedented time, I have been asked by a number of clients if they should alter their marketing plans. My answer is “Yes, but don’t stop marketing.” Further, attorneys — like many other businesses — while still doing at least partial in-person interaction, should consider increasing certain aspects of contact with customers.

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Start Page: Using Microsoft Teams for mediation

| Seth Wilson

Personal and work lives have changed drastically in 2020, and we are only halfway through the year! If nothing else, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how flexible and resilient we need to and can be. It has also reminded us of how “essential” legal services are. What do you do when you are deemed “essential” during a global pandemic? You get creative.

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Letter to the editor: Attorneys’ oath demands action

In light of excessive police violence, I call on my fellow barristers, who took the same oath as I, to begin living that oath. “I will never reject, from any consideration personal to myself, the cause of the defenseless, the oppressed or those who cannot afford adequate legal assistance; so help me God.”

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Applegate & Dillman: Tips for long-term care patients’ families during pandemic

| Carol Applegate and Lisa Dillman

Mid-March was likely the last time you saw your loved one in a senior living facility face-to-face. The coronavirus pandemic has led most nursing homes to close their doors or, at the very least, require stringent temperature checks and other precautions for urgent visits. As a result, families are fearful and anxious about the care their relatives are receiving and whether they will be exposed to the virus. Here are some tips for families that may help ease their fears.

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Marquez: Top 5 tech tips for working remotely

| Deanna Marquez

Here are five key tips that will help improve your work-from-home experience. Even if you are starting to return to the office, these tips will remain helpful when the need to work remotely arises, and some will even come in quite handy in the office.

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