Opinion - The Indiana Lawyer

DTCI: Writing for fun also may enhance your practice abilities

July 10, 2018

I dropped off my 10-year old daughter at Butler University’s creative writing camp this week. As I watched Charlotte walk to her classroom, composition notebook and pen in hand, I thought to myself, when was the last time I wrote anything for fun? Like Charlotte, as a child, I used to fill blank pages with stories. Stories I created. My interest in writing continued and certainly was a factor in choosing the profession of law, but if someone asked me to write a story today, I would not even know where to begin.

JLAP: Volunteers are empathetic, always willing to listen

July 10, 2018

Their stories are as varied as the lawyers and judges they help. JLAP volunteers are like a baseball team: there are specialists and there are utility players. What they all share is a desire to help and a willingness to listen.

Hopper: What options do you have in law practice succession planning?

July 10, 2018

Helping attorneys develop law practice succession plans is very specific to the desires and circumstances of each attorney. The options vary depending on whether a senior attorney is a solo practitioner or practicing in a law firm.

Townsend: See Purple? Check the property lines and avoid trespassing

June 26, 2018

Townsend By Andrea Townsend Effective July 1, seeing purple could mean you are about to commit trespass. Passed as part of House Enrolled Act 1233, Indiana’s “Purple Paint Statute” means that a purple paint perimeter serves the same purpose as a “No Trespassing” sign. Before July 1, criminal trespass required notice that no entry is […]

Biberstine: Devoting more money, Indiana leads in making schools safer

June 26, 2018

The shooting at Noblesville West Middle School brought a national problem to our front door. Many have asked what Indiana is doing to make schools safer. The quick answer is that Indiana has taken some large steps over the past few years and is now in a position of being a national leader for making Indiana school buildings some of the safest in the country for children.

Michael: Educational liability and the epidemic of school shootings

June 26, 2018

School shootings in the United States have averaged one per week since the beginning of 2018. This is indeed an alarming statistic, and Indiana has not been untouched by these tragedies. As of yet, however, the question of how to prevent them from happening again has gone unanswered.

Hammerle On … “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” “The Incredibles 2”

June 26, 2018

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” and “The Incredibles 2” are both cinematic treats, but for far different reasons, movie reviewer Robert Hammerle says.

Mental Fitness: Reaching out and connecting, we are blazing a new trail

June 26, 2018

In March, I received a call from an attorney who had read the Indiana Lawyer article where I disclosed my bipolar diagnosis. The attorney shared that they had recently been diagnosed as bipolar. We now communicate regularly. I believe something special is ahead for all of us. We are just getting started.

Start Page: Don’t take the click-bait, watch out for phishing attacks

June 26, 2018

Here are some reminders to help you avoid taking the bait and getting hooked by an email phishing attempt.

Hammerle on… “RBG,” “Pope Francis: A Man of His Word”

June 12, 2018

Movie reviewer Robert Hammerle finds much to like in documentaries about Pope Francis and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

DTCI: Get ready to leave your heart in San Francisco at DRI in October!

June 12, 2018

I invite you all to join me in San Francisco for the DRI Annual Meeting! This event will take place October 17-21 at the beautiful San Francisco Marriott Marquis Hotel.

Federal Bar Update: Magistrate Judge Pryor makes impact

June 12, 2018

Since taking the bench in March, Magistrate Judge Doris Pryor has been immersed in the work of the court.

Succession Planning: Professional conduct rule may impede firm succession

June 12, 2018

Rule 1.17 of the Rules of Professional Conduct, which deals with the sale of a law practice, is a restraining force in law practice succession planning. There are good reasons for this rule, such as putting our clients’ interests before our own, but no other profession faces the restrictions an attorney has when selling a law practice.

Eye on the Profession: Nagging question for lawyers — “How can you do it all?”

June 12, 2018

For busy professionals who love what they do, there is a constant challenge. They simply feel that they don’t have time to live life and stay on top of their legal careers. They constantly are asking themselves and others, “How can you do it all?” One significant question that we often overlook is “What does ‘all’ mean?”

Technology Untangled: Google Maps Timeline incredibly detailed yet fallible

June 12, 2018

We are aware that our smartphones act as personal locator devices. Google gathers location data from Android smartphones through many methods. Recently I was reminded of how disturbingly detailed — and fallible — this tracking information can be.

Klein: IU McKinney faculty, students confront opioid challenge

June 12, 2018

Indiana University has made a major commitment to combatting the opioid epidemic through its Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenges Initiative. I am proud that the IU McKinney School of Law is playing a large role in this effort.

Hammerle on … “Disobedience,” “Deadpool 2”

May 29, 2018

“Disobedience” makes film reviewer Bob Hammerle recall Bogart & Bergman in “Casablanca,” while “Deadpool 2” makes him laugh out loud.

Raman: Congratulations on graduation, and welcome to the profession

May 29, 2018

It is hard to believe that nearly four years have passed since I walked across the stage, received my diploma, passed the bar exam and started practicing law at Lewis Wagner LLP. I wanted to provide new lawyers, especially those who just graduated from law school, with some tips that I believe are critical to hit the ground running.

Plugged In: Beware of buzzwords and implement the most beneficial technology

May 29, 2018

With so many emerging technologies, it can be difficult to know which solutions are the most beneficial to implement and which are just this year’s jargon that will ultimately result in financial waste.

Pappas: Why I don’t sign letters “Very truly yours”

May 29, 2018

Bill Hutchens taught me this lesson, along with the value of humor — in life and law. We recently lost Bill after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease (a condition with which, coincidentally, my father, also a lawyer, was afflicted).

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