Indybar: Record Crowd Enjoys Bench Bar 2022 in Louisville

By John Trimble, Lewis Wagner LLP

It was very clear that IndyBar members were ready to get back together once again in person. A record 400 lawyers, judges and guests attended the Bench Bar Conference (presented by Wilson Kehoe Winingham) and inaugural In-House Counsel CLE Getaway (presented by Quarles & Brady LLP) from June 16-18 at the Omni Hotel in Louisville. Everyone agreed that the event was a joyful homecoming and family reunion with great energy and enthusiasm the entire time.

As usual, Bench Bar was kicked off with a golf outing. Despite the scalding weather, a hearty group of golfers enjoyed Fuzzy Zoeller’s Covered Bridge Golf Club on Thursday. Big thanks to the Marc Lopez Law Firm for sponsoring.

Thursday evening, nearly 350 people were bused to Churchill Downs for a planned evening of dinner and horse racing. However, the heat caused the horse racing to be suspended for the evening. Attendees were undaunted because Churchill Downs put out a great meal in an exciting venue, and those who wanted to follow horse races were able to do so via simulcast. The highlight of the evening was a race from a Pennsylvania racetrack that featured a horse called Nail Polish. Cocktail reception sponsors, Wagner Reese LLP and Bose McKinney & Evans LLP, purchased $10 win tickets for everybody in attendance for Nail Polish. Going into the race, Nail Polish had been a 6-1 odds horse, but the number of $10 bets pushed Nail Polish to even odds and made the horse the favorite. To the excitement of the gathered crowd, Nail Polish took the lead down the stretch and won the race, so everyone was able to cash a $10 ticket and take home a $20 bill. Many in attendance then donated their $20 winnings to the Indianapolis Bar Foundation. Big thanks to Churchill Downs sponsors Coots Henke & Wheeler PC, Bose McKinney & Evans LLP, Wagner Reese LLP and The Law Office of Kelley J. Johnson.

Friday was a very full day. In the morning, attendees received a rousing and inspirational talk from motivational speaker Werten Bellamy Jr. on the subject of “A Framework for Building Career Momentum in a Post-Covid Environment.” Bellamy kept the crowd in rapt attention for two hours as he talked about the importance of building relationships and bar association involvement. His talk will be remembered by attendees for many years.

At lunch, members enjoyed a Juneteenth celebration that was accented by moving speeches from Nathaniel Lee and Judge Carr Darden. Big thanks to Aware Recovery Care for sponsoring the lunch.

During the afternoon, attendees enjoyed breakout sessions in civil litigation, family law and criminal law. All the breakout sessions were well-attended, and some had packed rooms. Big thanks to all our breakout session sponsors: Lewis Wagner LLP, Holistic Financial Partners and Intoxalock.

Following the afternoon sessions and a brief break there were affinity group meetings of the Hispanic Lawyers Committee, the Asian-Pacific American Bar Association and the Marion County Bar Association. Big thanks to Katie Jackson-Lindsay for sponsoring the MCBA meeting.

Early evening, attendees reassembled for a cocktail party sponsored by Paganelli Law Group in the foyer of the ballrooms, with drinks and hors d’oeuvres, followed by a fun dinner sponsored by Katz Sapper & Miller. We celebrated the fact that, during the course of the conference, members and guests had contributed more than $4,000 to the Indianapolis Bar Foundation! The evening was capped off by a fundraiser for IndyBar Foundation sponsored by Rebecca Geyer & Associates. Members and guests enjoyed drinks and food well into the evening.

The Bench Bar Conference and the In-House Counsel CLE Getaway concluded on Saturday, June 18, with breakfast and an ethics plenary on the subject of “Understanding True Inclusion: Beyond DEI.” Afterward, a large number of very tired and happy members and guests reluctantly made the trek back to Indianapolis. All of us left feeling rejuvenated by the experience and looking forward to Bench Bar 2023. Registration is now open, and you can sign up at indybar.org/benchbar.•