Articles

Lawyers clean up, grapple with aftermath of weekend violence

Lawyers and law firms are assessing the damage and extending offers of aid after weekend protests turned violent in Indianapolis and other cities around the state. The protests and violent outbursts in Indiana and across the country were sparked by outrage over the death of George Floyd after a Minneapolis police office knelt on his neck.

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Pro Bono Matters: Pandemic forces legal aid groups to think outside the box

Pro bono and legal aid efforts are not immune to the adjustments needed to serve clients in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Court closures and restrictions on in-person gatherings have forced legal services organizations such as Indiana Legal Services Inc. to get creative about how they can continue to engage volunteer attorneys and provide legal services to those in need.

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Lewis’ legacy: Cake, applause and a challenge coin mark a special REACH graduation

Calling REACH “a beautiful program,” Kenny Lewis credited the federal court re-entry initiative with giving him the perseverance to stay at his job and teaching him to speak louder so others could hear what he had to say. Baker and the other members of the REACH team described Lewis as a model participant who not only exhibited tremendous character and did everything expected of him, but also encouraged and supported his fellow participants.

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IndyBar: Inactive And Retired Indiana And Other Out-Of-State Attorneys Now Authorized To Provide Pro Bono Representation

As of January 1, 2020, a brand new Indiana Supreme Court rule went into effect granting the opportunity for certain qualifying attorneys to hold a Pro Bono Publico License and serve as pro bono counsel. The rule covers certain types of Indiana and out-of-state attorneys who are not actively admitted to practiced law under Indiana’s general rules of admission, but who are otherwise in “good standing” with the bar of this or another state.

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Pro Bono Matters: Pro Bono Indiana helping maximize, streamline state districts’ efforts

There’s a new pro bono organization in town, and it’s bringing a relatively large change to Indiana’s pro bono system. Pro Bono Indiana was established at the beginning of this year to consolidate the administration of Indiana’s pro bono districts while still preserving the autonomy of the local nonprofit programs that have been serving the pro bono districts for years.

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Back to the border: Notre Dame law legal aid team sees increased hardship for asylum seekers

Instead of spending his holiday season surrounded by all things merry and bright, immigration attorney Rudy Monterrosa spent days at what he described as an ominous place akin to a concentration camp. For the second year in a row, Monterrosa took a team to the Texas-Mexico border to offer free legal services to women and children seeking asylum in the United States. His experience this time, however, was quite different.

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Justice by geography? Bill aims to bring uniformity to indigency determinations

Across Indiana, lawyers say judges in different counties often take different approaches to making an indigency determination. That’s led to what some call “justice by geography” — that is, a person facing charges might be deemed indigent in one county, but the same person facing the same charges in another county might be found to have the ability to pay. A Senate bill seeks a statewide standard.

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Web Exclusive: Expungement wait period case awaits justices

After more than 10 years with a criminal record, an Elkhart man successfully petitioned to reduce his felony conviction to a misdemeanor. But when he tried to expunge the conviction two years later, he faced an unexpected setback. The Indiana Supreme Court will decide whether he and others in his situation must wait longer for an expungement.

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