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Dear IL readers,
I am a huge fan of birthdays. While many people lament turning another year older, I love the opportunity to celebrate one more year. Some years it is the milestones achieved that I embrace, and other times it is just the fact that I’ve survived and am still here. Either way, as they say, a birthday is better than the alternative!
As you have read in the past couple issues of this newspaper, Indiana Lawyer is turning 25 this year. Our official birthday, the date of our first publication, is April 25, but we have chosen to begin early and run with this all year.
We plan to highlight in our news coverage the issues and people who have shaped Indiana legal news during the past quarter-century. There is much to talk about. If you were practicing law in 1990, you know how the birth of the Internet, email and other types of digital communication and recordkeeping impacted the way business is conducted. It is somewhat amusing (if it weren’t so dizzying for those of us who recall the pre-digital era) to look back through archives from that first year and see advertisements like the one touting a fax machine with the promo line: The Only Thing Not Built Into Our Laser Class Fax Is Obsolescence.
In 1990, that statement was made in good faith. I bet the fax machine was truly thought to be, as the ad says, “state of the art for years to come.”
But the dramatic changes that our world has experienced, and the impact those changes have had on the practice of law, has produced a fertile supply of topics to address over the years. It has been said that change is certain – progress is not. There are many opinions and points of view reflecting all we’ve been through, along with the pros and cons of the purported progress, and it has been our privilege to bring some of those to you.
Our reporting would not be possible without the people who take a moment from their otherwise busy days to provide insights into developing issues or summarize cases of interest to the legal community. Talking with a reporter is not billable – we get that – and your time is appreciated. By the same token, a number of lawyers have served or continue to serve as IL columnists, sharing their particular field of knowledge or skill set with readers. Covering a topic in 1,000 words or less can be challenging, but the diversity of voices and value to readers is tremendous.
Indiana’s local, state and specialty bar associations, along with our law schools, have also helped us reach readers and mine the ranks of legal practitioners to identify cases, interesting individuals, and sometimes controversial topics that evoke interest. We thank you for the assist.
Point is, like so many things in life, “it takes a village” to bring you the news. I feel fortunate every day for the IL editorial staff – a small army of professionals who work long and hard to stay on top of developing legal news – and IBJ Media’s layout, IT, advertising, circulation and other behind-the-scenes people who ensure print and digital news is distributed in a timely way. Outside of our building, those who serve as sources and subscribers, and, of course, our advertisers and the presenters and sponsors of IL-hosted events, have brought us to the moment we commemorate today.
2015, like its predecessors, will fly by. We’ll hit Thanksgiving and wonder where the year went. Before that happens, I hope that you will take a moment to let me know what role Indiana Lawyer plays in your legal practice or what you’d like to see from us in the years ahead. Visit www.theindianalawyer.com/IL-25-anniversary and click “Submit your 25th anniversary comments.”•
Here’s to the future!
– Kelly Lucas, Editor & Publisher
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