The ACLU of Indiana has received more than $1.4 million from the state in legal fees since Pence took office, thanks to successful constitutional challenges to hot-button issues. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on March 29 issued a design patent for the Garden Tower 2, created in Indiana, and other patents are pending for an invention that allows up to 50 plants to grow in a compact space that would fit on the most modest apartment patio. The recent 51 percent bar passage rate for February 2016 test-takers is the lowest since 2002.

Two Indianapolis attorneys who led a team that drafted Indiana’s contract with IBM said they ‘believed all along’ the Indiana Supreme Court would find the company breached its agreement to overhaul the state’s welfare system. A circuit court judge has had harsh opinions for Social Security benefit denials, but attorneys are hesitant to call the remands a trend. A rewrite of Indianapolis' zoning ordinances allows secondary dwellings and encourages denser neighborhoods.

Courtroom artists have provided the images that go along with some of the most famous events in legal history. When judges prohibit cameras and video equipment at trials and hearings, television stations and newspapers turn to artists to provide the visuals. A recent study shows "problematic" use of alcohol by attorneys. Thanks to the new "gig economy," disputes are increasing over who is an employee and who is an independent contractor.

The personal and professional papers of attorneys Freeman and Willard Ransom show their work to end discrimination. The Ransom family recently donated the collection to the Indiana Historical Society. Certain appellate court filings will be available online beginning April 1. Two judges and a litigator have been selected as Indiana Supreme Court finalists. <

Nine judges, four lawyers in private practice, a state lawmaker and a state attorney are semifinalists to replace Justice Brent Dickson on the Indiana Supreme Court. A lawsuit filed by a Virginia-based nonprofit could upend civil forfeiture in Indiana. The American Bar Association passed a resolution supporting the Uniform Bar Exam, which some tout as helpful for attorneys to be able to practice where the work is.

Lawyers are warming to e-filing, but hurdles (and proximity to the courthouse) are slowing wider use.Former foes of Indiana lawsuit funding legislation are supporting this year's bills to regulate the industry. The Hoosier roots are still strong for a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Attorneys are at the horizon of what could be a new body of law involving drones, some of which could be decided by the courts. Indiana University Maurer School of Law has revamped its website to target millennials interested in law school. Attorneys and the courts feel the recent drop in bankruptcy filings, the lowest number since 2007.

The sweeping medical malpractice claims against a Munster cardiologist's practice could take years to unwind, and they may change the calculus that sets surcharges physicians pay to the Indiana Patient's Compensation Fund. How Marion Superior judges are selected is now in the hands of lawmakers after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals tossed the current election system. Expunged criminal records may still show up, and even be required to be reported, in some cases.

Federal Judge Robert Miller Jr., who is taking senior status next month, has been praised for his legal analysis and temperament. Hosting a New Year's Eve party? You may face heightened liablity after a recent Court of Appeals decision. In our final installment of 25th Anniversary stories, we ask lawyers what they think the practice of law will be like in 2040.

Complex legal efforts along with Indiana and Kentucky’s cooperation laid the groundwork for the two new bridges spanning the Ohio River. A lawyer's former office manager said he paid a personal and professional price for reporting his ex-boss's egregiously unethical behavior to the Disciplinary Commission. Micki Wilson, the executive director of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, is reducing her role with the group after 37 years.