A Fort Wayne law firm got a scare yesterday when it received a suspicious package from a disgruntled man included in a lawsuit filed by one of the firm’s clients. The firm believed it could contain a bomb and called 9-1-1. It turns out it was only a turnip. The firm Haller & Colvin called police around 3:15 p.m. Thursday after employees opened a package in a typical cardboard box addressed to the firm. The package contained a gift bag with…
A former Marion Superior judge and deputy prosecutor died May 2 after a long battle with cancer. Judge John R. “Jack” Barney Jr., 73, also served as a senior judge for Marion Circuit and Superior courts.Judge Barney, an Indianapolis native, earned his law degree from Indiana University School of Law in 1962 and joined his father’s law firm, Barney & Hughes, after graduation. He practiced at the firm, which later became Barney & Barney, until 1984. Judge Barney was a Marion…
A longtime partner at Baker & Daniels' Indianapolis office is leaving the law firm after 28 years to become the new athletic director at his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame.
You don’t have to be a golf fan to have an interest in the recent PGA tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Course in California.Indianapolis lawyer Joseph Champion at law firm Bingham McHale has a key connection to that tournament and the winning golf pro, Steve Lowry, who walked away with a $1.08 million prize Sunday.The Hoosier attorney has represented Lowry in legal issues such as sponsorships and wealth management, and Champion looks forward to his client’s recent tournament victory as a way…
Tough economic times are causing law firms across the country to consider staff cuts as a way to trim costs, and the Indiana legal market isn't an exception.
A former Marion Superior Court judge and longtime executive director of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council died April 5 at his home after a long illness.Hon. Richard P. Good Jr., 76, was appointed by Gov. Frank O’Bannon in 1997 to Marion Superior Court, where he served in the Criminal Division. During his time on the bench, he was chosen by his peers to serve on the executive committee. After leaving the bench in 2002, he took on temporary assignments as presiding…
A federal grand jury in Hammond has indicted a Schererville attorney with two counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud after being accused of stealing money from two clients.
The Indiana Supreme Court suspended a Vanderburgh County attorney today for at least three years for committing what the court describes as the most serious of ethical breaches.The court came to its decision In the matter of: Douglas W. Patterson, No. 82S00-0402-DI-90, as a result of Douglas Patterson’s conversion of client funds, deceit in concealing his misconduct, and dishonesty with the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission.Patterson was an associate at a law firm which maintained a trust account. In 1999, Patterson and…
After seeing the film "Flash of Genius," about a man who sued the auto industry over what he claimed was his design for intermittent windshield wipers, an Indianapolis attorney who represented Mercedes (Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft) against the real life Bob Kearns has his own take on the film.
With at least two very closely watched races in Indiana – governor and president – and multiple political theories about how either race will go, there’s bound to be less attention paid to some of the other candidates. But with Republican Gregory Zoeller and Democrat Linda Pence up for the attorney general post and the incumbent Steve Carter not running, this race is worth another look. At stake is the oversight of the state attorney general’s office, basically a very large…
The top public defender in Marion County said he wasn’t forced to leave the agency for any reason, though he does worry that politics could play into the naming of his successor.Indiana Lawyer put the question to David E. Cook after reading a posting on Ruth’s Blog, a Web log devoted to news and commentary. The posting claimed that Cook was forced from his job for political reasons.While Cook is cognizant that his position is a political one and attempts have…
A prominent attorney, civil rights leader, and political figure will deliver the 2008 Neal-Marshall Lecture in Public Policy March 27 at Indiana University in Bloomington.Vernon E. Jordan Jr. will share his thoughts about the current presidential campaign and other topics in his lecture, “America – Crossing Boundaries of Possibility.” Jordan was executive director of the United Negro College Fund Inc., president and CEO of the National Urban League Inc., served as an advisor to President Bill Clinton, and has practiced law in Arkansas…
An embattled Michigan attorney is barred for two years from taking any new cases in Hoosier courts, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled today. Justices issued a per curiam opinion today in disciplinary action In the Matter of Geoffrey N. Fieger, No. 98S00-0609-DI-340, finding the attorney committed misconduct by making material misrepresentations in a sworn application for temporary admission to St. Joseph Circuit Court in late 2005. Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard and Justices Theodore Boehm and Robert Rucker agreed on the two-year…
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a grant of summary judgment in favor of a national pizza chain and its employee, finding there were genuine issues of fact as to whether the employee’s statement to police was protected by privilege. In Thomas Williams and Sanford Kelsey v. Kelly Eugene Tharp and Papa John’s U.S.A. Inc., No. 29A02-0707-CV-625, Thomas Williams and Sanford Kelsey appealed the trial court grant of summary judgment in favor of Papa John’s on their claims for defamation, false imprisonment,…
Hoosiers will soon be asked whether “ambulance chasing” attorneys should have to wait 30 days after an accident or injury before directly contacting potential clients by mail.
Attorneys’ total contributions nationally to 2008 presidential candidates*:If you’ve been getting calls since the primaries or even earlier, asking you to donate to political party A or candidate B, or to help to spread the word about issue C, you’re not alone. It’s no secret that attorneys – whether as individuals or as a combined effort of attorneys in a firm – contribute to campaigns. In federal campaigns in 2004 and so far this year, Indiana lawyers are listed as…
A prominent and well-respected labor attorney who had a great impact on Indianapolis and the legal community died July 27.Alan T. Nolan, an attorney, author, and historian, was 85. Calling and a memorial service will be Aug. 10 and 11.Nolan was born in Evansville and moved to Indianapolis at the age of 10. He attended Harvard Law School and clerked for Sherman Minton at the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. He returned to Indianapolis in 1948 and practiced law…
Two central Indiana law firms have been recognized by the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce as being “green.” Bose McKinney & Evans and Ice Miller were accepted into the chamber’s new Green Business initiative along with four other businesses. The initiative requires applicants to meet certain requirements – be a current member of the chamber, be at least a bronze member of the Central Indiana Clean Air Partnership, and complete an application for review. In addition, members of the Green Business…
A Bremen attorney was found dead Oct. 20 by police in a field in northern Indiana. Ronald Sowers, 70, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.
An Indiana high school junior who was prevented from trying out for her school’s baseball team because she is female will now be allowed to participate in tryouts. Heather Bauduin, a baseball player who relocated to Wabash, Ind., from California, was not allowed under an Indiana High School Athletic Association rule to try out for Wabash High School’s baseball team. Public Justice, a public interest law firm in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia firm Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin, represented Bauduin and…