Bell and Floyd: 3 things to know: ABA Opinion 503 and email etiquette
Attorneys James Bell and Riley Floyd write about American Bar Association Opinion 503, which focuses email etiquette
American Bar Association
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Split ABA ethics committee issues guidance on self-represented attorneys
A divided American Bar Association Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released a formal opinion Wednesday seeking to clarify the interpretation of a model rule about self-represented lawyers’ communications with represented parties in a case.
Paving the way for women: Former Justice Selby honored for blazing trails in the legal profession
Indianapolis attorney and former Indiana Supreme Court justice Myra Selby has been honored with the American Bar Association’s 2022 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award.
Hoosier law schools post mixed results in ABA bar passage report
Two Indiana law schools recorded an uptick in the ultimate bar passage rates for their graduates who first took the licensing exam in 2019, mirroring a similar improvement in the aggregate data the American Bar Association compiled for all law schools.
ABA provides guidance on client solicitation in new ethics opinion
The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility has released guidance on lawyer solicitation of new clients via “live person-to-person contact.”
IndyBar: American Bar Association Recognizes IndyBar Virtual Ask a Lawyer Program with Louis M. Brown Select Award
The American Bar Association recently awarded the Louis M. Brown Select Award to the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Virtual Ask a Lawyer program last week. Winning the award was quite a feat as the other finalists were programs run by state bar associations. This national recognition reveals the special and unique nature of our legal community, which is so willing to help those in need.
Free legal answers website hits record number of questions
In another sign of the overwhelming impact of the pandemic, data released from the American Bar Association shows the number of questions submitted by low-income individuals and families seeking help through the online program ABA Free Legal Answers has doubled since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Clogged pipelines: Study finds women attorneys still outnumbered in federal appeals
A recent study found men arguing before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals outnumbered women nearly three to one, which has remained largely unchanged in a decade. While slightly more women argued before the court in 2019 compared to 2009, that change was primarily attributable to the public sector. Women were also found to be more likely to represent and work for the government instead of private entities.
ABA issues guidance to lawyers regarding clients with language differences
The American Bar Association has released a set of guidelines attorneys can follow when they don’t speak the same language as their clients.
Losing can ‘get frustrating’ says liberal Justice Sotomayor
Acknowledging the limits of her own influence on the law as a member of the Supreme Court’s liberal minority, Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday encouraged citizens to work to change laws they may disagree with, like a recent Texas law that limits access to abortions.
Rising eviction crisis bringing calls for attorneys to volunteer
The American Bar Association and Legal Services Corp. are echoing the open call U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has made, asking attorneys around the country to volunteer their services in their communities to help the millions of individuals and families facing evictions now that the moratorium protection has ended.
Indiana law schools’ 2020 graduates finding full-time law jobs
As the American Bar Association releases job numbers that show the class of 2020 is struggling to find work, graduates of IU Maurer and Notre Dame outperformed the national rate while IU McKinney graduates topped their colleagues in the class of 2019.
Notre Dame law dean embraces admission practice others call ‘unnecessary, callous’
In response to criticism about its 2021 admission process, which has been dubbed by one social media user as the “seat deposit scandal,” Notre Dame Law School Dean G. Marcus Cole is calling the approach a success and praising the process as yielding an incoming class that is strongly committed to the institution.
Female judges encourage women to seek out the bench, become ‘seed planters’
Women who aspire to become judges need mentors and role models to help show the way. One longtime Indiana appellate judge shared the value of such encouragement that speaks to the experience of many female jurists: “She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. That caused me to apply.”
Disappearing act: Jury trials on the decline, but options available to reverse trend
It’s no secret jury trials are declining across America, even as they are increasing in other parts of the world. What’s less obvious, though, is why that decline is occurring and how alternate means of resolving cases are impacting perceptions of fairness.
Men, women offer gender equity insights in ABA report
A new report from the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession is sparking conversations in the workplace about how male colleagues can become allies in the ongoing journey to reach gender equity in the legal profession.
ABA urges key reforms on student loan debt
In an effort to address the crushing weight posed by student loan debt, the American Bar Association House of Delegates adopted a resolution penned by a group of young lawyers during its midyear meeting last week. The resolution urges programs to assist law school graduates and law students experiencing financial hardship due to their student loan debt.
IU Maurer part of ABA policing consortium
Indiana University Maurer School of Law is part of a just-launched collaboration of law schools across the United States that are coming together to examine and address legal issues in policing and public safety.
Compelled contract? Indiana Supreme Court considers arbitration agreement in nursing home lawsuit
After hearing oral argument on petition to transfer Sept. 24, the court must now decide if it will rule in a dispute filed by an elderly woman and her representative against the Carmel assisted living facility where the woman once lived and an independent contractor hired by the facility who is accused of raping her.
Web Exclusive: Young lawyers say hefty student loans limit life after graduation
A recent survey of nearly 1,100 young lawyers found that many new attorneys are making major financial, personal and career sacrifices as a result of their student loans. That includes decisions ranging from marriage and children to making big purchases or taking vacations. The survey hits home for many young Indiana lawyers.