As we approach the end of 2020, many of us are contemplating our personal and business charitable contributions. The ravages of the pandemic have left many with no paycheck, no home and living in a state of hopelessness. Imagine what it has been like for people who were already in chronic need before COVID arrived. There has rarely been a time when the need for public generosity has been as great as it is this year.
The three major stories of 2020 — the COVID-19 pandemic, the heightened awareness of racial injustice and the election — have made this year one that we will remember. While we couldn’t have envisioned all that would happen at the beginning of the year, our faculty are producing useful and thought-provoking scholarship on all these topics.
Former Vice President Joe Biden has declared victory in the 2020 election. Both President Donald Trump and Biden have plans for immigration in this country, though their plans vary widely. I’ve chosen a few hot topic issues on which to compare the candidates, but it in no way represents the comprehensive platforms of either candidate.
Here’s a modest proposal for electing our next batch of leaders: Let’s randomly select people to run for federal office and build reality television programming around them. I’m certain we can find sponsors and patrons, and how can it possibly be worse than our current system?
As the economy reopens, immigration compliance, often an afterthought, should be a priority as organizations recall furloughed workers and hire new employees. Employers who adhere to best practices for immigration compliance not only mitigate the risk of immigration fines or criminal sanctions but also the negative publicity that often accompanies immigration enforcement actions.
I’m by no means the first to suggest that merit selection systems may produce biased results, and people far smarter than me make compelling arguments both ways. But as applied in Indiana, it’s hard to argue this is not a biased system, especially in Marion County.
I generally cannot go but a few weeks without having a phone call with opposing counsel littered with interruptions. I can tell you several names of opposing counsel who have simply hung up on me (most of the time, they are the ones who called in the first place). … Candidly, this is all purely anecdotal. However, I can tell you that, unfortunately, every instance involved behavior conducted by a male attorney.
Buying commercial real estate requires special attention to potential environmental problems and the laws that regulate them. A lawyer advising a buyer of commercial real estate must identify and resolve existing or potential environmental problems or risk an unhappy client.
The last thing Indiana Lawyer readers need is a new attorney giving them tips, best practices and pitfalls to avoid. So as a new attorney, I will instead tell a story about humility — something that any person can (and should) experience at any time in their life. I received a large dose of it after I was sworn in as an attorney.
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” serves as a reminder of the turbulent 1960s that has relevance to social upheaval in our times, movie reviewer Robert Hammerle observes.
Many of you recently passed the state bar exam and were sworn in to practice law within the last couple of months. I was in your shoes one year ago and will now impart some of the “knowledge” I have learned in my first year as a lawyer. It is up to you to decide if what I have learned is helpful to you or if I am full of it.
After COVID-19, law firms must rethink what the office environment can deliver better than the experience of working remotely. What can the future law firm office do better? How can tomorrow’s law firm office improve connection and interaction, encourage collaboration, and provide modern, convenient services?
As I write this article, my thoughts are focusing on the future and what I anticipate doing again when we return to normal — whatever that normal may be. Some who know me — and especially my wife — know that I am more of a “half-empty glass” than a “half-full glass” person. However, with an optimistic eye, I will look forward to what the future may be when we return to normal.
A core tenet of American citizenship is access to the ballot. Defining who is and is not a citizen has been used as a chess piece in many partisan and nonpartisan fights. Again the voting ritual is upon us, and I challenge voters to mark their ballots then plan to hold those they voted for or against accountable.
Retirement. Depending on where someone is on the age spectrum, it is a prospect too distant to be felt with any sense of reality or something that is coming like a fastball straight at your nose. Two lawyers who recently retired and I exchanged our thoughts about life in retirement.
The Indiana Lawyer editorial staff has been covering Indiana’s voter suppression laws and how they are holding up to court challenges. So far, so good for several statutes, which is awful news for democracy and the right to vote.
For a long time, I’ve wanted a legal pad app for my iPad that could reliably turn my handwriting into text. The iPad and Apple Pencil should do this well, but there was too much friction in getting the text to be recognized and usable. That’s all changed with the latest iPad OS update. Apple gives users Scribble — the ability to hand-write in any field on the iPad and the iPad will turn handwriting into text, almost instantly. This is a serious tool.
A helpful tool to simplify complex scenarios for clients is the use of visual aids or flowcharts to demonstrate key portions of a will or trust. Particularly in a trust instrument, a diagram of how assets flow is often very helpful to clients and helps them understand things simply.
Prior to 2019, Hoosiers interested in creating a directed trust had to leave the state to do so. Now they do not, and Indiana banks and trust companies have a new product to offer customers and will be able to attract business from other states that still do not allow for directed trusts.
One alternative dispute resolution option to consider during the pandemic is expedited arbitration. Both the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR) offer an “expedited” or “fast track” option for dispute resolution that truly accelerates the proceedings.