Small town law — Martin County: Hometown justice, family feel

If the Martin County court staff is a family, Dru Fromm (left) is the mom. The title makes sense for the court administrator, who has worked for Judge Lynne Ellis since 1999. Back then the judge was a private practitioner, and Fromm later joined her in the transition from law office to courthouse. That relationship earned her the title of “judge whisperer.” Beth Bruner (right) isn’t a newbie, either. She also worked with Ellis in her private practice days, and their familiarity is evident in the courtroom. Bruner, the criminal court reporter, sits to Ellis’ right, handing the judge documents or offering scheduling options before Ellis even has to ask. Jennifer Phillips (center) is a newer face, joining the team as the civil court reporter earlier this year, but she’s already in sync. The three move through the court offices as if in a choreographed dance — they know their individual steps, but they work in concert. The trio is synchronized when they’re off the clock, too. After hours group texts are the norm, and every morning they gather in the office with their breakfast to discuss last night’s news and today’s tasks. But much to their chagrin, the family might soon suffer a split. Fromm has her eye on retirement, though she’s agreed to stick around during Ellis’ planned three-month medical absence this fall. Bruner and Phillips recoil at the mention of Fromm’s departure. They’re a family, they say, a team. The roster won’t be the same without their mom. Wistfully, Bruner sums up their feelings on the impending change: “We’ll miss her.”•

The small woman approaches the stand, aided by a cane. She’s sworn in, then makes her statement: I don’t want her to get probation. I know she’s my niece, but she should get jail time. Judge Lynne Ellis nods understandingly, unfazed by the family drama. Later, a defense attorney offers Ellis an apology for his client’s appearance — namely, his camo shorts. The judge offers the defendant a smile, plus some advice: if you have a pair of pants, wear them next time. When a pro se litigant takes his seat at the defense table, Ellis makes her expectations clear: Sit up, pay attention and speak into the mic. Her instructions aren’t meant to intimidate – they’re meant to show respect for the judicial process.

Back in her chambers, Ellis sheds her no-nonsense demeanor for enthusiastic chatter about her work. She’s the only judge in the county, she says, so her actions are the face of the judicial system. She has to uphold the law, but she wants the public to know she’s there to serve them. Ellis’ judicial career has been admittedly unconventional. She didn’t graduate law school until she was in her 40s, but she decided early on she would become a judge. After a stint in private practice, Ellis made good on that vow, taking the Martin County bench in 2011. But now, her sights are set on retirement, with plans to take senior status in 2022. Sure, she won’t have a decades-long career like some judges, but for Ellis, that was never the point. She wanted to do good for her community, and she feels like she’ll accomplish that in two terms. Now, the judge says, considering a possible successor, “it’s time to let the young people have a chance.”

Isha Wright-Ryan is the definition of a hometown girl. Born in Martin County and raised among the expansive woods, Wright-Ryan “left” the southwestern Indiana county only twice. Once was while she earned her undergraduate degree at Indiana University, and once was when she got her law degree at Valparaiso Law School. Wright-Ryan had always planned to stay in her hometown, taking a job after law school with a solo practitioner who would allow her to work in Loogootee. But a downtown fire in late 2014 left the town devastated and the law office damaged, so Wright-Ryan chose to hang out a shingle. A small-town general practice firm, Isha E. Wright-Ryan, Attorney at Law, P.C., handles a caseload of family law, criminal cases, wills and estate work, and more, depending on the need. She’s also the Loogootee city attorney and one of only 10 attorneys based in the county. It’s a difficult line to walk in a county of about 10,200 people — Wright-Ryan often knows her clients personally but must represent them professionally. She sees their struggle, but she can’t cry with them. They don’t need her to be emotional, she said. They need her to be effective. Running a solo firm in a small community keeps Wright-Ryan busy, but the work is worth it. Martin County is her home, so she has an interest in seeing that justice is done. In fact, Wright-Ryan wants to execute justice in her hometown on a higher level, so she plans to run for judge in 2022. Judges see people at the worst moments of their lives, she said, and she wants to be there for those moments to help her neighbors as best she can. “I care about this community,” she said. “I really do.”