In This Issue of Indiana Lawyer

NOV. 5-19, 2014

Interpreters understand the need for offering services remotely, but want all interpreters to be certified. Attorneys say Indiana's expungement law still has issues that the General Assembly needs to fix. Law firms struggle to create apps that have value and meet a specific need for users.

Top StoriesBack to Top

Defendant argues jury erred by disregarding experts

A Steuben County man convicted of attempted murder by a jury of his peers is asking the Indiana Supreme Court to take the rare step of reversing the verdict on the grounds the jury ignored evidence that he was delusional on the day he committed the crime.

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Serving those who served

More veterans courts are popping up around the state, with a focus on individual treatment and establishing mentorships.

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FocusBack to Top

Technology helps aid non-English-speaking litigants but has limits

Remote connections for interpreting services are becoming more common in courts and legal proceedings. Speakers of Arabic, Mandarin, Punjabi and countless other languages and dialects are entitled to understand proceedings and communicate, but there isn’t always a qualified interpreter who can show up in person.

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OpinionBack to Top

Dean’s Desk: Partnerships prep students for Indiana legal careers

A growing economy needs all kinds of professional support – including leaders who have been trained in law and know how to problem-solve. That’s why we have developed several new programs at the IU Maurer School of Law designed to attract the best and brightest students to our school, introduce them to the growing global economy – and, we hope, keep them in the Hoosier State.

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Finney: Top 5 Word tips every legal professional should know

Regardless of practice area, Microsoft Word is an application that most of us spend significant time utilizing. Unfortunately, it is often amidst looming deadlines, preventing us from having time to truly explore features that could ultimately make us more efficient.

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In BriefBack to Top

Legislative committee recommends making annexations more difficult

The legislative committee examining Indiana’s annexation laws underscored how complex and difficult the issue is when committee members looked at the laws Wednesday. The members took a third of the time allotted for the meeting to decide that a remonstrance should succeed if a simple majority of property owners oppose a municipality’s effort to incorporate their land.

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Bankruptcy cases filed at lowest number since 2007

The total number of bankruptcy cases filed in federal courts for the fiscal year 2014 dropped 13 percent as compared with FY 2013, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts announced Wednesday. This is the lowest number of bankruptcy filings for any 12-month period since 2007.

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Special SBack to Top

Disciplinary ActionsBack to Top

Bar AssociationsBack to Top

DTCI: 15 years of court interpretation on presumption and products liability

In the 15 years since the presumption became a part of the IPLA, it has been invoked in a number of actions involving the design, manufacture, labeling and packaging of numerous products. This article explores Indiana court decisions that have transformed the breadth and impact of the presumption both in its application and the requirements necessary to overcome it.

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DTCI: Take time to invest in yourself

Where I work, it is the usual practice of the partnership to send attorneys with my level of experience (five to six years) to a seminar in order to prepare us for the eventual responsibility of trying a case on our own.

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Abrams: Marion County Judicial Elections—Where Do We Go From Here?

The IndyBar has looked at this issue for quite some time dating back to the early 1990s in an effort to establish a process where we could continue to have the same quality of judges currently on the bench while protecting the financial integrity of those attorneys who run for judge and creating an independent bench that can withstand scrutiny from the public.

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IndyBar: Upcoming Pro Bono Trainings

Interested in getting involved in local pro bono programs? Upcoming trainings offered by both the Indianapolis Bar Foundation and the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic combine training to prepare you to serve with low cost—or free—continuing legal education credits.

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IndyBar to Offer Labor and Employment Guidance for Local Small Businesses

For a small business owner, navigating labor and employment laws can be one of the most difficult and potentially costly parts about doing business. A program offered by the IndyBar Labor & Employment Law Section seeks to lessen this burden by providing employers with valuable tips and information in an informal—and affordable—setting.

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