Hammerle on… “The Prom,” Christmas 2020
Movie reviewer Robert Hammerle observes that the roller coaster ride of Netflix’s “The Prom” might not be too popular in its setting of the Hoosier State and shares memories of Christmases past.
Opinion
Articles
Young: Grand jury reforms needed to restore public confidence
Inserting race elevates the question of the efficacy of grand juries, whether they can truly be a fair process that seeks to evaluate the weight of evidence or whether it is simply a prosecutor’s tool to advance or diminish a case before it can take on a life of its own.
Bont: White collar update: Sacklers, Flynn elude criminal charges
In the current administration, it is somewhat unusual for the government to prosecute corporate wrongdoing using every weapon in its arsenal. Particularly given the Department of Justice’s recent practice of publicly announcing decisions not to prosecute corporations that have been under criminal investigation, the recent announcement of resolved criminal charges against Purdue Pharma is unique.
Start Page: Apple M1 plus Big Sur equal big changes for computers
Apple recently updated its operating systems for Mac and iOS (iPhone and iPad). Apple also announced a new line of computers built with its own processors. While this development is largely under the hood, these new chips represent some new potential for computing.
Dreyer: Lawyers must treasure the currency of character
Character is not an aspiration for lawyers, it is a requirement. It is not an exception, it is the rule. No other profession in the world carries such a heavy obligation because the consequences are so great if we fail.
JLAP: Grief is more than just the ‘holiday blues’
There is more in the air than holiday cheer. It feels heavy and different, the kind of energy you can’t put your finger on. David Kessler, renowned grief expert, issued a wake-up call: “We are all dealing with the collective loss of the world we knew. The world we knew is now gone forever.” If you feel like singing the blues, you are not alone.
Hiler: Conducting patent due diligence in corporate acquisitions
A company considering acquiring a target company having patent assets should evaluate such patent assets by having its lawyer gather information, verify facts, and assess risks associated with acquisition of the target company. This patent due diligence is performed by the lawyer to advise their client regarding issues impacting the potential acquisition, including, for example, acquisition price and structure.
McCabe: Biden will reverse Trump environmental policies
The Trump administration has used many tools to weaken environmental protection. For example, Trump issued an executive order in June 2020 to waive environmental review for infrastructure projects such as pipelines and highways. I expect the Biden administration will quickly signal to the nation that effectively applying the nation’s environmental laws matters to everyone – especially to communities that bear an unfair share of the public health burden of pollution.
Pro Bono Matters: Immigration volunteers take on challenging opportunities
While many things have changed this year, the need for pro bono immigration lawyers has not. Indiana lawyers have a range of opportunities to get involved in immigration law.
IndyBar Guest Column: What I’ve Learned from 2020 and What I Hope for in 2021
There were a lot of things I was going to do this year, places I was going to go (conferences in French Lick, AFCC in New Orleans, a girls’ trip to Hilton Head … gone but not forgotten, clearly) that just went completely off the rails. Instead, I learned some things, experienced some “personal growth” and so far, I’ve survived. I thought I’d share some things in case you were feeling alone, or want to feel superior, or are just looking for some product suggestions.
Quick: Now more than ever, watch out for stress
I usually write about law firm marketing in this space. This month I am going to change the topic just a bit. I want to talk about stress.
Trimble: Are legal services a basic human need?
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.
Parrish: IU Maurer research focusing on most topical issues of 2020
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.
Van Tyle: The future of immigration in 2021 and beyond
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.
Stafford: Let’s make a game of what’s dividing Americans
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?
Durham: Best practices for I-9 compliance critical during pandemic
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.
Stafford: Institutional racism and judicial merit selection in Indiana
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.
Letter to the editor: Courteous and professional? We can do better
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.
Sylvia & Townsend: Real estate environmental due diligence: What’s the risk?
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.
Crabtree: A healthy dose of humility never hurt anyone
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.