Dunn: Mitigating risk today requires ongoing risk governance
Last year presented organizations with a variety of new issues coupled with uncertainty. The year taught hard lessons and reinforced the critical need to adapt.
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Schumann: Residential transfer reporting rule takes effect March 1
On Aug. 29, 2024, FinCEN published the rule with the start date for real estate transactions beginning March 1.
Hammond and Shublak: Ensuring our decisions bend toward the common good
While coastal cities may dismiss us as flyover, we continue to produce the residents, workers, soldiers, athletes and executives who make the world run.
Dreyer: Violence against judges leads to broad disorder
We Americans do not know what we really think of our judges. … Are they heroes or villains? Hiller B. Zobel, “Why We Hate To Love Judges” In 1970, Judge Harold Haley was led from his California courtroom with a shotgun wired around his neck. He was killed during the escape attempt of a defendant […]
Norris: Have you hugged your lobbyist today? They’re the experts.
With so many important issues being considered in such a condensed time frame, isn’t it comforting to know that a trained governmental affairs professional is watching your back?
Graham: The kind of goodwill no marketing budget can buy
Can your escrow account actually enhance your goodwill? Absolutely. There’s hidden value in how we handle our clients’ funds.
Wilson: Microsoft tips: Solving Word’s automatic numbering issues
One of the most frustrating parts of Microsoft Word is its automatic behavior control, or ABC, feature as it relates to numbering.
Mizzell: From relief to reckoning—bankruptcy trends to watch in 2026
Although it is probably surprising to most, the pandemic and the related inflation did not give rise to a huge explosion in bankruptcy filings.
Stafford: Crooked Lake, St. Joe judicial bill merits a veto
A parade of attorneys from Lake and St. Joe counties testified against House Bill 1453. Most spoke in disbelief that this was happening without any prior consideration. They explained why they had taken their time and traveled all the way down to Indianapolis, some twice, to tell lawmakers why this is a bad idea and why the current judicial nominating system works. It was enough to give any reasonable person pause. But this is the Indiana Legislature we’re talking about.
Bont: White collar update — Walmart pharmacy defense plays offense
Walmart took issue with the government’s assertion that national pharmacy chains are required to analyze and share prescribing data across its stores and with line pharmacists. After waiting four years for the government to initiate legal proceedings, Walmart took the offensive and filed a declaratory judgment action in the Eastern District of Texas. In essence, Walmart alleged to the court that the government was creating and enforcing laws that did not exist.
Stafford: A veteran of Indiana GOP politics looks on, shakes his head
I asked former three-term Indiana Attorney General Linley Pearson, if you were a younger person today, would you run for office? He didn’t hesitate. “There’s no question today I could not be in politics,” he said. “It’s just totally changed, and it’s not very attractive to me. … If you want to exaggerate or malign a person, you could always do that, but do you want to do that?”
Betz: Lawmakers propose ‘radical’ bid to reshape judicial selection
By initiating a constitutional amendment based on misinformation, three Indiana Republican state senators, now joined by multiple others, have proposed a radical resolution to eliminate citizen involvement in the retention vote of appellate judges, changing the current selection process that has been in place for 50 years. This proposal also severely decreases judicial independence and increases the political pressure on our state’s appellate judiciary. Indeed, if successful, the proposal would give the legislative branch far greater control over the Indiana state appellate judges and justices. It would also further embed in Indiana’s Constitution more systemic racism.
Dreyer: On our oath: ‘Judge, will you swear me in, please?’
Despite serious travails during our history, presidential inaugurations seem to allow for a pause and some national confidence. Noting this recently, it is perhaps well that we set briefly aside our current concerns and allow some reflection to lighten us up and to observe the critical importance of the judicial branch.
Young: Looking for greater equity in America’s caste system
I’ve been wrestling with the idea of a more just Indiana and what that really means and looks like for the millions of Hoosiers impacted by COVID-19, unemployment, racism and in some instances bad luck. COVID has wreaked havoc on customary ways of conducting business, all the while intensifying political divides in an already divided country. Is that disruption of “normalcy” a bad thing?
Morris: It’s time for my first retirement
In just a few short days, Dec. 31, 2020, will mark my last official day with IBJ Media. I’m calling this occasion my “first retirement.” Nate Feltman, president, CEO and co-owner, will pick up publisher duties upon my departure.
McCabe: Biden will reverse Trump environmental policies
The Trump administration has used many tools to weaken environmental protection. For example, Trump issued an executive order in June 2020 to waive environmental review for infrastructure projects such as pipelines and highways. I expect the Biden administration will quickly signal to the nation that effectively applying the nation’s environmental laws matters to everyone – especially to communities that bear an unfair share of the public health burden of pollution.
Pro Bono Matters: Immigration volunteers take on challenging opportunities
While many things have changed this year, the need for pro bono immigration lawyers has not. Indiana lawyers have a range of opportunities to get involved in immigration law.
Stafford: Let’s make a game of what’s dividing Americans
Here’s a modest proposal for electing our next batch of leaders: Let’s randomly select people to run for federal office and build reality television programming around them. I’m certain we can find sponsors and patrons, and how can it possibly be worse than our current system?
Young: For voting to count, access to casting ballots is essential
A core tenet of American citizenship is access to the ballot. Defining who is and is not a citizen has been used as a chess piece in many partisan and nonpartisan fights. Again the voting ritual is upon us, and I challenge voters to mark their ballots then plan to hold those they voted for or against accountable.
Stafford: Holcomb’s calculation leads voters to risk health or liberty
Crises present tests of leadership, and Holcomb’s milquetoast excuses for not backing no-excuse mail-in voting during this time will haunt him and define him. This is easily his worst hour in a long political career.