While various programs such as the Conference for Legal Education Opportunity encourage more diverse attorneys in the legal profession, a career in the law still seems unattainable for some. But many new attorneys are sharing their experiences with students in middle schools and high schools in hopes of showing what the profession has to offer.
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To elevate Indiana women in the traditionally male-dominated white-collar defense bar, the Indianapolis chapter of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association was founded in 2015. The primary goal of the group is to build a referral network so female lawyers are likelier to get handed a case or asked to represent a client.
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A new legal services company rooted in Nashville has recently settled in Indianapolis, with a Hoosier attorney at the helm. Latitude, a Tennessee-based legal services provider founded in 2014, announced the establishment of its Indiana office last month. The company claims it will provide on-demand, sophisticated attorney expertise for Indiana corporations and law firms while increasing flexibility and reducing costs.
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Like the entrepreneurs they represent, the three lawyers who recently formed JBJ Legal — Kimberly Jeselskis, B.J. Brinkerhoff and Hannah Kaufman Joseph — got restless working for someone else. Befitting their entrepreneurial spirit, the three have leveraged technology and capitalized on modern-day office concepts in starting their firm.
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Even after the advent of e-filing and some paperless offices, courier services are still available, and the need for such services persists. That need has evolved in the digital age, but attorneys and delivery companies say there are options available when technology can’t yet get the job done.
The year 2019 broke the record for U.S. law firm mergers and acquisitions with 115 combinations announced, including Indianapolis offices in some of the biggest deals unveiled.
A few years ago, two Indianapolis law firms agreed to share office space. A few weeks ago, they joined forces in a merger that has them optimistic for what the future holds.
“I’ve had a great career,” said longtime Whitley County attorney and prosecutor John Whiteleather, “and I hope I have contributed back to the community for what it provided to me.” Whiteleather’s colleagues on the bench and bar assure him that he did, recognizing him as the Indiana Bar Foundation’s 2019 Legendary Lawyer.
With its impending entrance into the Minneapolis market, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP is set to expand its footprint to 12 cities, grow its roster of attorneys to more than 600 and take a step closer to its goal of becoming a regionally dominant law firm. While law firm merger activity in the Hoosier State is increasing, the recently announced Taft deal is among the largest in recent years.
Leslie Henderzahs says Indiana State Bar Association members often realize the value of the association when they least expect it. The incoming ISBA president cited as an example a recent proposal that Indiana lawyers provide their cellphone numbers with their Roll of Attorneys registrations. Few proposals have prompted such an outcry from attorneys, and Henderzahs said the state bar acted promptly.
Some economists are again talking about a recession as certain market indicators point to a coming slowdown. Even if the economy stays strong, experts say the changes within the legal industry will still create winner and losers.
With only a few years of legal experience, how can associates convince clients to entrust them with important legal matters? What steps can young attorneys take to make a name for themselves in an increasingly competitive market? Many see personal branding as a key.
The IndyBar is determined to help Indianapolis solo and small firm practitioners meet their unique needs through the brand new Solo/Small Firm Division! Focused on programming, networking and business development opportunities specifically tailored to this large group of attorneys, the division will aim to give solo and small firm practitioners a home within the IndyBar.
When the federal district court in Washington, D.C., ruled in a dispute over the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), Indiana State Bar Association president Todd Spurgeon heard the screech of a locomotive coming to sudden stop.
Lawyers and paralegals largely agree that electronic filing has improved their work, cutting the time and cost of printing and distributing hundreds or even thousands of paper documents. But enjoying the full benefits of the electronic system, they say, is a matter of trial and error.
Attorneys from opposite ends of the state were honored for their contributions to the legal profession Friday during the Indiana State Bar Association Solo/Small Firm Conference. Joseph D. O’Connor, an attorney with Bunger & Robertson in Bloomington, and Jack L. Walkey of Ball Eggleston P.C. in Lafayette each received the GP Hall of Fame Award from the ISBA’s General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section.
New Indiana Trial Lawyers Association President Tom Hamer talks shop and gives a preview of his plans for leading the state's plaintiffs bar.
The science of DNA testing is evolving, and that’s a good thing for wrongful conviction reform advocates like Fran Watson. She talked about the changes Friday before a session of the Indiana State Bar Association Solo/Small Firm Conference in French Lick.
The tables were turned on the Indiana Supreme Court justices Friday morning. Instead of being the ones to ask the questions, the five justices were treated as potential jurors during a panel discussion at the Indiana State Bar Association Solo/Small Firm Conference in French Lick.
A recent survey of young Florida attorneys found that roughly 58 percent say the practice of law has become “less desirable” to them as their years in practice have increased. But facing difficulties doesn’t mean the next generation of Indiana lawyers are preparing to switch careers. Rather, they say the struggles they encountered, though painful at the time, have improved their skills as client advocates.
The legal profession has a problem, according to the International Bar Association. The largest survey of its kind found sexual harassment and bullying endemic in the legal profession in the United States and around the world.
Across the country, in-house counsel attorneys are taking steps to put their money where their mouth is — literally — when it comes to diversity in the legal profession.
A failed mediation attempt has led to court proceedings to dissolve a prominent Indianapolis-area divorce law firm. Kena Hollingsworth of Hollingsworth & Zivitz, P.C., filed a petition for dissolution of her Carmel firm in Kena S. Hollingsworth v. Hollingsworth & Zivitz, P.C., and Christina M. Zivitz, 29D02-1904-PL-003832, writing that a “deadlock” exists between her and partner Christina Zivitz over the management of the firm.
Indiana law firms are absent from a record year of deals, but many are growing through lateral hires or picking up entire practice groups.