A group of incarcerated veterans dedicated to encouraging their fellow servicemen participating in a veteran’s treatment court program have, for the past several years, made an impact by taking up their pencils and paintbrushes.
Twenty years ago, most people learned about major court cases and trials from newspapers or local television stations. But with myriad online distribution channels and social media available at virtually everyone’s fingertips, staying up to date with the latest news has become and more accessible than ever.
At a time when judges are interviewing and hiring to fill upcoming judicial clerkship positions, some former and current law clerks are reflecting on their own experiences and offering suggestions to newcomers on how to prepare.
The biblical words “love is patient, love is kind,” have significant meaning to close friends Lonisha Johnson and Kristy Johnson, both of whom are incarcerated at the Clark County Jail.
The silence was deafening. Little to no calls were coming in to the Middle Way House’s domestic violence help and crisis line in the months after Indiana’s stay at home orders, leaving Debra Morrow in a panic. “It got deathly quiet, and to us, that was horrifying. We were worried about those who couldn’t reach out.”
A recent survey of nearly 1,100 young lawyers found that many new attorneys are making major financial, personal and career sacrifices as a result of their student loans. That includes decisions ranging from marriage and children to making big purchases or taking vacations. The survey hits home for many young Indiana lawyers.
Attorney Ashley Eve was one of more than a dozen death penalty protesters who claimed that their First Amendment rights were violated when Indiana State Police set up roadblocks that kept capital punishment protestors almost 2 miles away from the federal prison in Terre Haute while three executions took place there last month. Eve was motivated to a career in law by her opposition to the death penalty.
“I knew that I was the first trial and that if I screwed up, nobody else would get to go, so I wanted these people to be comfortable,” Lake Superior Judge Bruce Parent said. Parent and others shared their perspectives on the first Indiana jury trial permitted after court proceedings were suspended due to the pandemic.
When in-person legal education events became virtually impossible during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic chose to go virtual.
Changes could be coming to the way Indiana legislators convene this summer, as teleconferencing and virtual meetings become more commonplace in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before she even saw the house at auction, Beverly Corn firmly put her foot down with a resounding no. “I kept saying, ‘I’m not doing it. I don’t know what donkey you think is going to drag me into this, I’m not doing it,’” Corn said. But that was two years ago, before the newly christened Riparian House in her childhood hometown came back to life with her help.
Retired Krieg DeVault partner Calvin Bellamy remembers exactly when he got his first presidential pin. “I know specifically – 1956. My father ran Memorial Day parades in Hammond for many years,” he recalled. That day sparked a fascination and hobby that Bellamy has cherished for the past 64 years.
Extra hours away from the outside world because of stay-at-home orders offered Indiana’s judges and attorneys at least one positive thing during the coronavirus-pandemic – time. Whether spending time with family or using quiet moments of solitude to revive rusty creative skills, many legal professionals are finding the joy and peace of everyday tasks in the midst of uncertain times.
A pair of Indianapolis attorneys have found their passion for auto racing made working on such issues a natural fit for their practices.
In light of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Indianapolis Bar Foundation earlier this month implemented a new fund called the Crisis Empowerment Grant Program. The fund’s goal is two-fold: to put dollars in the pockets of lawyers who may be struggling to make ends meet while continuing to provide free legal services to central Indiana families through four local agencies.
Starting a new chapter, the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, a faith-based legal services provider, is welcoming a new leader as it looks to enhance its programs and launch new initiatives to help low-income households in Indiana.
An Indiana attorney who quit his passion of biking after a series of personal crises — one of which nearly cost him his life — found renewed passion and purpose by getting back on the saddle.
A Pendleton Correctional Facility inmate will be paid $425,000 by the state after spending four years in isolation for a disciplinary violation he says he didn’t commit. But the settlement might not have been agreed upon without the help of a Chicago-based justice center that says it advocates for underdogs.
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.
A bill that would have done away with the statute of limitations for certain child sex abuse crimes is making headway in the 2020 Indiana General Assembly. But some advocates are disappointed in how the bill has panned out.