Abrams: Sections, Committees and Divisions, Oh My!

Each quarter, I have the opportunity to listen to the chairs of all the Indianapolis Bar Association’s sections, committees and divisions describe accomplishments they have achieved during the past quarter as well as forecast great things to come throughout the balance of the year. There is some amazing work done by these groups – not all of which is known to our members. In an effort to toot the horn of their hard work, please note the following accomplishments of just a few of our many sections, divisions and committees:

Alternative Dispute Resolution Section – On Sept. 26, volunteers from the ADR section will work at their fifth annual Mediation Day. These volunteers will donate their time and skills to mediate several cases for litigants who qualify for modest means mediation. They will work in multiple offices made available through the generosity of Barnes & Thornburg.

Estate Planning & Administration Section – They have partnered with financial planners to enhance the business development opportunities for their members. One way they are doing this is by providing Certified Financial Planning (CFP) credit hours in addition to CLE credit hours at seminars scheduled in 2014.

Environmental Law Section – Environmental consultants will attend a CLE on Sept. 17 (with libations to follow) where they will actually sample contaminated property and describe the process to all the attendees. This would be an excellent CLE for Real Estate & Land Use Section members and Business Law Section members to attend.

Government Practice Section – This section has an interesting CLE scheduled for Oct. 9 called “Why Can’t I Buy Beer on Sunday? An Overview of Indiana Alcohol Laws Compared to Other States.” A social reception will follow including – you guessed it – a beer and wine tasting with appetizers.

Health Care & Life Sciences Section – This section is partnering with the Indy Attorneys Network Section for a Handlebar Bike Social and CLE on Aug. 19. This is another great way to connect members of different sections and get to know attorneys in all areas of law.

Intellectual Property Section – They are seeking lawyers to join their executive committee to provide leadership for the future. If you are interested, please reach out to Connie Lindman at SmithAmundsen LLC, 464-4102. (Sorry for the Public Service Announcement but I need to occasionally have a philanthropic bent.)

Labor & Employment Law Section – They are scheduling an Employment Law Seminar for small business owners on Nov. 13 to network with a group of potential clients.

Paralegal Committee – They have decided to organize a reception on Oct. 2 to thank the many sponsors that have helped make their successes economically feasible. This is a great idea to thank the people that help make our lives much easier.

Criminal Justice Section – They have been extremely busy educating lawyers who have been in practice for 10, 20, 30 and 40 years on the radical changes to the Criminal Code that were adopted this year.

Family Law Section – They creatively obtained sponsors for their CLE seminars so that they could fund a section Indians Game outing and a holiday party. This is an ingenious effort to combine CLE with social enjoyment at no cost to its members.

Tax Section – They have a great seminar for later this year called Accounting for Lawyers: Part Two. They have also solicited volunteers from their section to provide pro bono advice to clients of the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic.

Real Estate & Land Use Section – This section has spent a considerable amount of time working with the City of Indianapolis on the proposed rezoning ordinance and have paired with a title insurance company for a couple of CLE seminars later this year.

Indy Attorneys Network Section – They continue to grow their membership each week and have partnered with other groups and sections for CLE and social events.

Women And The Law Division – They had an outstanding summer reception and have strong philanthropic efforts in support of Dream Dinners, where they make meals for The Julian Center and Embrace.

Litigation Section – Nov. 12 will be the 2014 Judicial Reception where judges and litigators can spend time in a related social atmosphere.

Public Outreach Committee – This committee will sponsor a voter registration presentation and student representative election for 8th graders this fall. At the presentation, they explain voter information (registration, ID to vote, voting within the correct precinct), students declare a candidacy to run for 8th Grade Student Representative, elections are held and the winning candidate is announced.

Lawyer To Business Committee – Jimmie McMillian and committee members from several IndyBar sections and divisions have planned an outstanding social event scheduled for Aug. 28. IndyBar members are invited to join members of the Indiana CPA Society at the Market Table at the Alexander Hotel for a networking night. It will be from 5 to 7 p.m. and we will be able to meet accountants who will hopefully lead to future referrals on both ends – for us to give our clients and for them to refer us. This is the first Lawyer to Business Networking Reception and there will be several more over the next six months.

As you can see, there is a lot going on and there is bound to be something that piques your interest. Please don’t be a wallflower and get involved! Enjoy the fruits of the hard work of our members.•