A word of discretion was offered to judicial officers Monday when Indiana Supreme Court justices condemned the impropriety of assuming a prosecutor’s duties, a message shared in a disciplinary opinion elaborating on the judicial ban of a former New Haven City Court judge.
A Hendricks County judge and former leader of the Indiana Judges Association is facing disciplinary charges stemming from allegations that he appointed a friend as trustee of an estate case, then failed to take prompt action upon learning that the man was not fulfilling his duties and was possibly stealing from the trust.
The Department of Correction must restore nearly six months of lost credit time to a Westville inmate after a federal judge determined the inmate’s disciplinary loss of credit time was “unreasonable and arbitrary.
See who has been disbarred or suspended during the most recent reporting period.
A Plainfield attorney has been suspended for at least 180 days with two years of probation monitored by the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program after he accepted retainers from several clients but failed to adequately communicate with or appropriately advance their cases.
An Indiana attorney wanted on several charges of mail fraud against elderly victims he allegedly exploited as part of an investment scheme has been arrested after federal authorities found him in Florida, according to the FBI.
A northern Indiana city court judge who resigned at the end of the year after several judicial misconduct charges were filed against him has agreed to never again serve as a judge, the Indiana Supreme Court announced.
An Indianapolis attorney charged with intimidation against a Marion County court and other offenses has been suspended from the practice of law after the Indiana Supreme Court granted a petition for his emergency suspension.
A suspended northern Indiana lawyer was sentenced Friday to nearly nine months in jail for forging a judge’s signature on a phony divorce order and sending a client a bogus email that she represented as coming from a deputy prosecutor. Jill Holtzclaw of Decatur was sentenced to serve 270 days behind bars followed by a year of probation for her convictions of Level 6 felony counts of forgery and counterfeiting.
An Indianapolis attorney found guilty of converting client funds, falsifying attorney registration and lying to a court can no longer practice law in Indiana after the Indiana Supreme Court unanimously voted to disbar her.
The rare subset of attorney discipline cases brought by the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission are the result of criminal charges against lawyers that could result in jail time. In that regard, the Hoosier State had plenty, even as total attorney discipline orders declined in 2018.
Read who has resigned and who has been reprimanded during the most recent reporting period.
The Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission addressed such questionable relationships in an advisory opinion that cautions Hoosier attorneys against “license rental” partnerships with out-of-state law firms or non-lawyer service groups. Through these partnerships, Hoosier attorneys lend their services to the out-of-state firm or non-lawyer group in exchange for a fee paid for limited client representation in Indiana.
Indiana lawyers who are members of Congress, senators or vice president no longer have to worry about meeting continuing legal education requirements under a rule adopted this week by the Indiana Supreme Court. The new rule also decreases CLE credits required for state lawmakers who are attorneys.
A Merrillville lawyer who asked the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana to reconsider discipline imposed on him drew a harsh reply from the court, which said his conduct “lends further support to … concerns about his competence as a lawyer.” The district court denied John H. Davis' motion to reconsider his removal from the court's Roll of Attorneys last week.
A northern Indiana lawyer could be sentenced to nearly two years in jail after she pleaded guilty Tuesday to forging a judge’s name on a phony divorce decree and sending a bogus email bearing a deputy prosecutor’s name. Jill N. Holtzclaw of Decatur pleaded guilty to Level 6 felony counts of forgery and counterfeiting Tuesday in Adams Superior Court.
A lawyer who formerly worked in northern Indiana and already was ordered to repay more than $2.5 million to clients now is facing criminal charges. Federal prosecutors say 61-year-old Sven Eric Marshall, formerly of South Bend, is facing five counts of mail fraud for allegedly running an “elder abuse scam” through an investment company named Trust & Advisory Services of Indiana Inc.
The Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission is warning lawyers of the potential ethical pitfalls that can arise when Hoosier attorneys affiliate themselves with out-of-state law firms or non-lawyer legal services companies. Such relationships could allow the non-Indiana groups to offer legal services in the Hoosier state without actually having to be a member of the Indiana bar, the commission said.
Read who was suspended from the practice of law during the most recent reporting period.
The Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a public reprimand of an Evansville attorney and accepted the resignation of a Brown County attorney who was facing multiple professional misconduct and trust account violations.