Articles

Web exclusive: Judges, lawyers invest time in hobbies under stay-at-home orders

Extra hours away from the outside world because of stay-at-home orders offered Indiana’s judges and attorneys at least one positive thing during the coronavirus-pandemic – time. Whether spending time with family or using quiet moments of solitude to revive rusty creative skills, many legal professionals are finding the joy and peace of everyday tasks in the midst of uncertain times.

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Champions of legal aid, civics education honored

Reflecting his engineering roots, J. Mark Robinson offers a straightforward solution for the civil legal puzzle: real lawyers in real courtrooms representing real people on real legal issues. The Indiana legal profession recognized Robinson and his commitment by honoring him with the Randall T. Shepard Award for Excellence in Pro Bono. Robinson and other select members of the legal profession and educators were honored for their work in either civil legal aid or civic education at the Indiana Bar Foundation’s 2019 Awards Dinner.

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We the People finals bring return champions

Déjà vu retained its grip on the winner’s circle after three days of competition at the 2019 Indiana We the People State Finals, which brought nearly 600 middle and high school students to Indianapolis Dec. 8-10.

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Help renewed for Hoosiers facing loss of their home

The Indiana Supreme Court is working to help troubled homebuyers, and possibly prevent another flood of empty houses, by relaunching the Mortgage Foreclosure Trial Court Assistance Project. A $115,000 grant from the Indiana Bar Foundation will provide funding to pay for facilitators to work with borrowers and lenders to try to get them to reach an agreement that will avert a foreclosure.

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2019 report finds Hoosiers continuing to avoid ballot box

With the release of the fourth measurement of Indiana’s civic engagement, the authors are providing an outline of strategies for expanding civic education programs and improving voting rates. The recommendations in the 2019 Indiana Civic Health Index come as the Hoosier State continues to rank in the bottom 10 of all states on voting and in the bottom third on voter registration.

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Lawyers use knights and kings to promote civics

Despite a rain-soaked afternoon, just over 30 chess enthusiasts gathered at the City Market in downtown Indianapolis Oct. 26 to test their skills at the centuries-old game and help support the young, by comparison, American democracy. The We the People White Knight Chess Tournament, sponsored by Cohen & Malad LLP and Barnes and Thornburg LLP, raised money for the Indiana We the People program.

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Dunlap: High-quality civic education is worth the investment

Having been involved in civic education in Indiana for almost 20 years, I welcome the recent increased attention on the need to have more civic education in our schools. Civic education holds us together as a state and country by giving us the tools we need to be informed and engaged citizens.

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Study: Indiana legal aid agencies return $6.70 for every dollar invested

A recent study examined 12 separate legal services agencies around Indiana and calculated the organizations’ social return on investment. The group dug into the financials for the year 2017 and concluded that for every $1 invested in Indiana legal aid that year, the state received $6.70 in immediate and long-term financial benefits.

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New site a landing page for civil legal aid

The Coalition for Court Access recently launched the website Indianalegalhelp.org. Now, Hoosiers needing help with a divorce, child custody issue, eviction or other civil legal problems have a new place to find answers and additional resources without having to make a phone call, schedule an appointment or even drive to a courthouse.

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