The Indianapolis Bar Association (IBA), aided by grants from the Indianapolis Bar Foundation, launched a professionalism initiative in January 2002 to promote positive lawyer images in the community and eliminate client distrust and dissatisfaction. Some of the initiatives undertaken by the Association include: 1) the Tenets of Professional Courtesy, which are distributed to lawyers and displayed in legal offices and courtrooms and serve as a benchmark for professional demeanor within the legal community; 2) the Bar Leader Series, a leadership development and professional enhancement program for young lawyers in their first three to 10 years of practice; 3) the Applied Professionalism Course for New Attorneys, which is a semi-annual fullday program geared to attorneys in their first three years of practice; 4) the "Surviving and Thriving in the Practice of Law," day-long program entitled for third-year law students; 5) Judicial Criticism Response, which educates the public and responds to instances of perceived unfair criticism of judges; 6) Lawyer Criticism Response, which educates the public in instances where an attorney has been unfairly criticized within the media; 7) a Professionalism Award, which was created in 2004 to honor excellence in the Indianapolis Bar Association; and 8) Lawyers Care Project, which has sent more than 200 care packages to members of the Indiana National Guard serving in the Middle East.

The goal of the Initiative is to reduce image or perception-related barriers that may a) prevent some practitioners from rendering a high quality of service in the practice of law, b) prevent the public from obtaining legal advice, and c) create distance in some attorney-client relationships. All of the activities listed above stress honesty, integrity, and service, which are the benchmarks of professionalism.

In 2001, the IBA formed a Task Force on Image Enhancement to study and address potential challenges caused by negative public opinion of or a lack of confidence in the legal profession. The result? A plan that we hope will, in the end, make it easier for the public to obtain legal advice – and enhance the relationship an individual client has with his or her attorney.

The mission of this plan is to improve public confidence and trust in lawyers. How? By reducing image-related barriers that may keep some from obtaining legal advice and ensuring those barriers do not create distance in existing or future attorney-client relationships. And how will we accomplish this? With activities that promote positive lawyer images in the Indianapolis community and educate members and the public on how to avoid circumstances that can lead to client distrust and dissatisfaction.

Please read the entire IBA Board of Managers’ Resolution that follows for more information.

WHEREAS, the Indianapolis Bar Association ("IBA") mission to serve its members, promote justice and enhance the legal profession in Indianapolis requires the IBA to study and address challenges facing the legal profession; and

WHEREAS, the 2001 IBA President appointed the IBA Task Force on Image Enhancement ("Task Force") to study and address potential challenges caused by negative public opinion of or a lack of confidence in the legal profession; and

WHEREAS, on November 27, 2002, the Task Force issued its final report; and

WHEREAS, the IBA Board of Managers accepted the report at its December 3, 2002 meeting and submitted it to its Executive Committee for further study; and

WHEREAS, the Executive Committee hereby proposes this resolution for approval by the IBA Board of Managers adopting and implementing the recommendations made by the Task Force in its final report as modified herein by the Executive Committee;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

1. The IBA hereby adopts this resolution as its plan to address lawyer image in the Indianapolis area.
2. The mission of this plan is to reduce image related barriers that may keep some from obtaining legal advice and that may create distance in some attorney-client relationships by improving public confidence and trust in lawyers through activities that (a) promote positive lawyer images in the Indianapolis community and (b) educate members and the public on how to avoid those circumstances that can lead to client distrust and dissatisfaction.
3. The IBA President in each odd year shall designate one of the five at-large members of the Board of Managers elected with that President to serve as coordinator of this plan ("Plan Coordinator"). During the Plan Coordinator's two-year term as an at-large member of the Board of Managers, s/he shall be generally responsible for implementation and coordination of this plan and shall serve as the liaison between all IBA committees, divisions, and sections on matters included in this plan.
4. Consistent with the findings of the Task Force, the elements of this plan are intended to be a sustained and long term solution. Moreover, the Board of Managers recognizes that elements of this plan will take time to initiate, develop and implement. Accordingly, the Board of Managers empowers each sitting President and each designated Plan Coordinator with the discretion to accomplish the plan's action steps in a manner that is logical and manageable, given the nature of the volunteer service they provide.
5. The Board directs all the chairs of all IBA committees, divisions, sections, and programs to include image promotion efforts in all IBA programs. To accomplish this, the Plan Coordinator first designated under this plan shall conduct an initial audit of existing programs as outlined in the Task Force's report. The Plan Coordinator shall then direct chairs to add promotion activities to appropriate existing and new programs that may serve the mission of this plan.
6. The Plan Coordinator shall work with the IBA Executive Director to develop and propose a regular communications campaign informing the public about lawyer giving to Indianapolis charitable and community organizations.
7. The Plan Coordinator shall develop and propose a policy for responding to unfair criticism of lawyers in general as specified in the report
8. IBA sections are hereby directed to develop a "best practices" Continuing Legal Education series as described in the Task Force report.
9. The Plan Coordinator shall determine and recommend whether the "best practices" series can be used as described in the report for third year law students or law license applicants.
10. The Plan Coordinator shall work with the Executive Director to develop the information campaign outlined in the report for educating members of the public on how to use a lawyer.
11. The Plan Coordinator shall make an annual calendar year-end report to the Board of Managers briefly outlining steps taken during the year in furtherance of this plan.