Software headaches adding to bar exam worries
Two business days from the July 2020 bar exam, some Indiana applicants are reporting problems with the software and adding more anxiety that they will not even be able to log on to take the test Tuesday.
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Indiana joins national split over Fifth Amendment technology question
A 3-2 Indiana Supreme Court decision last month ruled that Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination extends to court orders for a suspect to unlock her cellphone. Other states, however, have taken the opposite stance, setting the stage for a likely US Supreme Court case.
Web Exclusive: Legislative study panels may be remote; emergency planning is focus
Changes could be coming to the way Indiana legislators convene this summer, as teleconferencing and virtual meetings become more commonplace in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Who’s watching you? Contact tracing protected by privacy laws despite public resistance
Americans have encountered numerous new experiences during COVID-19, but contact tracing isn’t one of them. Long used to track diseases such as tuberculosis, contact tracing is described by experts as a “tried and true” public health tool. But as the scale of the tracing has ballooned during the pandemic, so has the distrust of the method.
‘Back to work’ looks remotely different
Like the rest of the state, lawyers aren’t heading back to the office all at once — in fact, some aren’t heading back at all. The new normal of “working from home” has become so engrained that firm leaders say they don’t expect their employees to return to the old lifestyle of commuting into the office every day.
Supreme Court upholds cellphone robocall ban
The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a 1991 law that bars robocalls to cellphones. Six justices agreed that by allowing debt collection calls to cellphones, Congress “impermissibly favored debt-collection speech over political and other speech, in violation of the First Amendment.”
New and improved PACER system unveiled
The electronic PACER federal court records system is sporting a new look and improved functions as part of its first major upgrade in a decade. New features are touted as enabling users to more easily navigate the system, more quickly find what they are seeking, and get better access on their mobile devices. The upgrade also is designed to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.
Judge orders Lawson to produce emails, documents on voting-machine security
A Marion Superior judge has ordered Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson to produce documents to back up her claim that the public should not see emails and other communications about the reliability and security of voting machines because they could jeopardize cyberterrorism security.
COA applicants, JNC discuss practical, philosophical issues during first round of interviews
Like most everything else during the pandemic, the recent interviews to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Indiana Court of Appeals looked a little different. On June 10, the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission logged on to Zoom to interview candidates to succeed retiring Court of Appeals Judge John Baker.
Start Page: Using Microsoft Teams for mediation
Personal and work lives have changed drastically in 2020, and we are only halfway through the year! If nothing else, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how flexible and resilient we need to and can be. It has also reminded us of how “essential” legal services are. What do you do when you are deemed “essential” during a global pandemic? You get creative.
Trump administration extends visa ban to non-immigrants
The Trump administration on Monday extended a ban on green cards issued outside the United States until the end of the year and added many temporary work visas to the freeze, including those used heavily by technology companies and multinational corporations.
First remote interviews for COA vacancy held amid pandemic
In a first for Indiana, applicants seeking to join the state’s appellant bench were interviewed remotely Wednesday. After multiple continuations, the seven-member Judicial Nominating Commission logged in to Zoom on Wednesday morning to hold 20-minute interviews with candidates seeking to succeed retiring Court of Appeals Judge John Baker.
ABA, Clio partner to offer hotline for lawyers’ COVID, stimulus questions
The American Bar Association is partnering with legal technology services and practice management software provider Clio to offer a toll-free hotline to answer practice-related questions from attorneys regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feds seek $225M fine for pair who made a billion robocalls
The U.S. communications regulator on Tuesday proposed a $225 million fine, its largest ever, against two health insurance telemarketers for spamming people with 1 billion robocalls using fake phone numbers.
Marquez: Top 5 tech tips for working remotely
Here are five key tips that will help improve your work-from-home experience. Even if you are starting to return to the office, these tips will remain helpful when the need to work remotely arises, and some will even come in quite handy in the office.
External webcams, quiet rooms among details for first-ever remote bar exam in July
The nearly 500 applicants who have registered to take the Indiana Bar Exam in July will need to have external webcams, quiet rooms and be prepared to write extensively for the test that will be given remotely for the first time because of the coronavirus pandemic.
New attorneys get help navigating COVID-19 in ISBA program
An Indiana State Bar Association online program geared toward newly admitted attorneys is hoping to prepare and equip new lawyers on how to begin their legal careers in the midst of uncertain times posed by COVID-19.
113 pass Indiana Bar Exam in February
Indiana Lawyer congratulates the following 113 applicants who passed the February 2020 Indiana Bar Exam, many of whom took their oath as new attorneys during a virtual admission ceremony May 5.
Life and death decisions: Pandemic increases focus on estate planning, health care advance directives
The coronavirus pandemic seems to be the push many people needed. Most clients, estate planning lawyers say, tend to put off preparing their documents, usually believing that they still have time. But with the continuance of the COVID-19 pandemic and the daily coverage of case counts and death tolls, attitudes have changed.
Zooming in: Lawyers describe pros and cons in remote oral arguments
Though there have been some technical hiccups, lawyers report generally positive experiences with remote appellate oral arguments. Even so, some advocates say the most impactful arguments are made in person.