Indiana University Maurer School of Law's next dean is an expert in global law. Many groups support treatment instead of incarceration. Lawyers' efforts around the state help to make the holiday season bright for those in need.

 

The alteration the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society made this season to its letters soliciting donations reflects a strategic decision by the nonprofit to go after higher contributions and underscores the need for service organizations of any kind to be aggressive. Midwest firms are forgoing headquarters in favor of autonomy among offices. Food fight! Kraft wins IP lawsuit involving Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores' sales of products in grocery stores.

A Madison family business is at the forefront of a legal challenge the Supreme Court of the United States will conference over Nov. 26 – whether the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ‘contraception mandate’ violates the religious liberties of company owners whose faith proscribes birth control. Marion Superior Judge Kimberly Brown's disciplinary proceeding is likely the most volumninous judicial discipilnary proceeding in state history. Renowned defense expert Andrea Lyon has been tapped to lead Valparaiso University Law School.

Fort Wayne attorney Bob Kistler uses his military experience and legal expertise to lift Honor Flights to new heights.The Kokomo attorney who skipped town left his practice "a mess," according to the attorney surrogate appointed by the court. The idea of limited legal licensing programs are gaining traction in the legal community,  concerning some practicing attorneys.

An early 1990s nudity case from South Bend that made it to the Supreme Court of the United States is now the subject of an off-Broadway play.The Indiana State Bar Association has approved mandatory reporting of pro bono hours. Two Indiana University Maurer School of Law professors have joined the effort to curb government surveillance of citizens.

It is rare that members of northern Indiana’s Amish communities have a need for legal representation. When they do, they turn to a neighbor they know and trust. Read more about lawyers who've carved a niche for representing Amish clients in IL's North/Central Indiana Spotlight story. Indiana courts are grappling with how to comply with a statutory requirement to use psychiatrists for insanity evaluations when there seems to be a shortage of qualified and willing professionals in some areas. The Legislature's Commission on Courts is studying the issue. And don't miss continuing coverage of the debate surrounding legal education in America. Former Chief Justice Randall Shepard recently gave his perspective during a talk at Notre Dame Law School. 

Daniel Brewington is either a poster child for the wrongful prosecution of free speech or a man whose online rants about a judge constituted criminal threats. It all depends on your point of view.    After a Lake Superior Court declared parts of Indiana's right-to-work law unconstitutional, those on either side of the debate are anticipating taking their case to the appellate court.  And 50 years after the enactment of the Equal Pay Act, does gender equality remain the "elephant in the conference room" at some law firms?

Twelve thousand feet above rolling Indiana farmland, attorney Amy Romig prepares to jump from an airplane. Most of the plane’s passengers are jittery first-time skydivers, but Romig’s nerves are fine. That’s because she’s done this 1,300 times. Attorneys discuss how soaring through the sky helps keep their feet firmly planted while managing life and the law. IU McKinney School of Law Professor Mohamed Arafa recently returned from teaching in Egypt, and he talks to Indiana Lawyer about changes in his homeland. Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson issues a call to action, indicating much remains to be done in the quest for diversity in the profession.

The Indiana Tech Law School opened Aug. 26 in Fort Wayne with an inaugural class of 30 students. Within the Allen County legal community, the new law school has drawn mixed reaction. Past professional associations with the once-prominent personal-injury and wrongful-death attorney William Conour have resulted in several lawyers being named in civil suits. And choosing a life on the farm when you're a city lawyer may seem odd to some, but the decision has shaped lawyer's Sherry Fabina-Abney's family and life in positive ways.

Indianapolis attorney Philip “Skip” Kappes began practicing law in 1948. Today, he holds Indiana's second-longest active law license and cites adaptability as a key to professional success and sustainability. Kappes talked with Indiana Lawyer about his experiences along the way. The case involving Bei Bei Shuai's attempted suicide, which resulted in the death of her newborn daughter, has been resolved, but legal issues surrounding the actions of pregnant women remain. A law student who golfed his way "from tee to shing tee" to fundraise for an Indianapolis school shares his experiences and photos with IL readers.