The positives of having a job are unchanged, but the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced some new obstacles to re-entering individuals whose criminal records already created a barrier to gainful employment.
The law is a service profession, one lawyers often enter into with big dreams of changing the world. For some lawyers, though, the work of changing the world begins not in law school, but in the military.
2020 has been (and no doubt will continue to be) like riding a roller coaster in a hurricane. Fortunately, for the IndyBar, we have a committed membership that has responded in amazing ways.
The Lake County Bar Association not only surpassed but more than doubled its fundraising goal to help the hungry in their community.
For 2020 (and likely 2021,) in lieu of the annual gala, the IndyBar Foundation will host an online holiday auction: IndyBar’s Giving. This special event will take place during the week of Thanksgiving in an effort to kick-start holiday shopping and get members into the holiday spirit.
Each year, the IndyBar offers hundreds of educational programs, social events and opportunities for community involvement, all while introducing new resources and services to serve members of the legal profession. None of these important contributions would be possible without the work of many lawyers, paralegals and law students behind the scenes on section and division executive committees.
Rob Gauss’ job description as chairman of the board of the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis doesn’t include deployment to the front lines of a national disaster zone. But that’s what he’s training to do.
The Indianapolis Bar Foundation (IBF), the charitable arm of the Indianapolis Bar Association, is a community-focused leader of the local legal profession. The foundation’s ongoing grants and programs are maintained solely through the generosity and energy of its directors, fellows and donors.
IndyBar volunteers were scattered across the city on Tuesday, Oct. 6 for the biannual Ask a Lawyer legal advice program. Click here for photos from the event.
Now is your opportunity to volunteer to help the less fortunate in our community and to nominate deserving legal professionals for two prestigious upcoming IndyBar honors.
The silence was deafening. Little to no calls were coming in to the Middle Way House’s domestic violence help and crisis line in the months after Indiana’s stay at home orders, leaving Debra Morrow in a panic. “It got deathly quiet, and to us, that was horrifying. We were worried about those who couldn’t reach out.”
Anticipating a shortage of poll workers on Election Day, the Indiana Supreme Court has joined the recruitment effort. Lawyers who serve on Nov. 3 will be able to claim up to one hour of continuing legal education credit for going through the training and report the time worked as pro bono hours.
The focus of the Virtual Ask-a-Lawyer was to provide a place for people to get real help, direction and referrals, especially as the full impact of COVID-19 was shuttering businesses and causing waves of unemployment. To date, since May 2020, more than 100 attorneys have volunteered through the virtual desk and over the telephone to provide answers to more than 1,352 questions.
The Indiana Supreme Court is joining the effort to recruit poll workers for the November general election by offering incentives to encourage lawyers to spend the day helping Hoosiers cast their ballots.
Get on board with the local legal community: nominations are being accepted now for positions on the board of directors for both the Indianapolis Bar Association and the Indianapolis Bar Foundation! Nominations of colleagues as well as self-nominations are welcomed.
Whether you’re interested in adding pro bono to your practice for next year’s reporting requirements or are simply interested in increasing the number of hours you spend on reportable pro bono legal services, there are several ways you can get involved.
Orville Copsey, Jr., an Indianapolis attorney whose work helping many elderly and disabled clients stay in their homes earned him the nickname “St. Orville,” died Aug. 4. He was 88. “We have lost a true gem in our legal community,” one attorney said in tribute.
The Evansville Bar Association has put forward a detailed plan to address the problems of racial inequality and injustice by not only educating local legal professionals but also fostering a conversation within the larger community.
As demonstrations and calls for criminal justice reform continue nationwide, a group of Indianapolis lawyers have organized a “Call to Action” to highlight the role lawyers can play in the push for racial equality. The new organization Indy Lawyers for Black Lives will host a Juneteenth event Friday at IU McKinney School of Law.
The 158 women members of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association are fanning out across the state to register as many Hoosiers to vote as possible. They’ll tally the results of their efforts on Aug. 26, the 100th anniversary of Indiana women being guaranteed the right to vote after ratification of the 19th Amendment.