Quick: Websites are your billboard to the world
By now you realize that a website is an integral part of your law firm business. Right? OK. Progress noted. And all you have to do is “build it and they will come,” right? Wrong.
Opinion
Articles
Federal Bar Update: Rules change in Northern, Southern district courts
Local rules in the Northern and Southern district courts have changed regarding responses to motions to dismiss.
Making Rain: Do you think like a client? If not, try this
Getting work done and generating billable hours are always two primary areas of focus for lawyers in law firms. And if you are in-house, there is a never-ending stream of work that needs to be done and deadlines that need to be met. So how can you possibly have the time to step back and think like a client?
Westrick: Summer study committees to focus on health-related topics
While the list of health-related bills that took effect this year is lengthy, there is still more health-related work to be done. The Interim Study Committee on Public Health, Behavioral Health, and Human Services will meet later this summer and fall.
Hadler: Changes to CMS Nursing Home Compare provide better data
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regularly monitors and publishes comparative data for nursing homes throughout the nation. In Indiana, there are 551 facilities that receive Medicare and/or Medicaid reimbursement and are thereby subject to this regulation.
Hammerle on… “Hearts Beat Loud,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”
Film reviewer Bob Hammerle finds emotional magic in “Hearts Beat Loud,” while “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” serves up the expected from a franchise that isn’t going extinct anytime soon.
DTCI: Writing for fun also may enhance your practice abilities
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
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?
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
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
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
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”
“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
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
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”
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!
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
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
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?”
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?”