2020 has been (and no doubt will continue to be) like riding a roller coaster in a hurricane. Fortunately, for the IndyBar, we have a committed membership that has responded in amazing ways.
Timothy Abeska, a retired South Bend attorney, is providing needed financial support to the Indiana Bar Foundation and, through a just-announced matching initiative, is incentivizing others to do the same.
The IndyBar Pro Bono Awards honor IndyBar members who are practicing lawyers, retired lawyers, in-house and corporate counsel, and law students as well as local law firms who have made outstanding contributions toward delivering volunteer legal services to the poor and disadvantaged.
IndyBar members and the community showed overwhelming support during the Indianapolis Bar Foundation’s third annual Day of Giving, which raised $36,275 from more than 250 donors.
The IndyBar Pro Bono Awards honor IndyBar members who are practicing lawyers, retired lawyers, in-house and corporate counsel, and law students as well as local law firms who have made outstanding contributions toward delivering volunteer legal services to the poor and disadvantaged.
Anticipating a shortage of poll workers on Election Day, the Indiana Supreme Court has joined the recruitment effort. Lawyers who serve on Nov. 3 will be able to claim up to one hour of continuing legal education credit for going through the training and report the time worked as pro bono hours.
The focus of the Virtual Ask-a-Lawyer was to provide a place for people to get real help, direction and referrals, especially as the full impact of COVID-19 was shuttering businesses and causing waves of unemployment. To date, since May 2020, more than 100 attorneys have volunteered through the virtual desk and over the telephone to provide answers to more than 1,352 questions.
The Indiana Supreme Court is joining the effort to recruit poll workers for the November general election by offering incentives to encourage lawyers to spend the day helping Hoosiers cast their ballots.
Whether you’re interested in adding pro bono to your practice for next year’s reporting requirements or are simply interested in increasing the number of hours you spend on reportable pro bono legal services, there are several ways you can get involved.
Free training for lawyers on modest means and pro bono representation of domestic violence victims will be available next month, sponsored by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
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.
In anticipation of state courts being overwhelmed with landlord-tenant cases once the pandemic moratorium on evictions is lifted, a task force assembled by the Indiana Supreme Court released recommendations Wednesday that encourage payment plans and alternatives to forcibly removing residents from their homes.
When in-person legal education events became virtually impossible during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic chose to go virtual.
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.
The Evansville Bar Association has put forward a detailed plan to address the problems of racial inequality and injustice by not only educating local legal professionals but also fostering a conversation within the larger community.
While still unknown how many families will lose their place to live once the moratoria on evictions are lifted in Indiana and other states, a leading housing expert says the best treatment is providing attorneys to represent those families in court.
As demonstrations and calls for criminal justice reform continue nationwide, a group of Indianapolis lawyers have organized a “Call to Action” to highlight the role lawyers can play in the push for racial equality. The new organization Indy Lawyers for Black Lives will host a Juneteenth event Friday at IU McKinney School of Law.
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.
Give back and help your community from home! We’re looking for volunteers to answer legal questions from the public via our new online messaging system, Virtual Ask a Lawyer.
Lawyers and law firms are assessing the damage and extending offers of aid after weekend protests turned violent in Indianapolis and other cities around the state. The protests and violent outbursts in Indiana and across the country were sparked by outrage over the death of George Floyd after a Minneapolis police office knelt on his neck.