By Sarah Larimer
The pandemic has been a trying time for all attorneys, but for new attorneys hungry for guidance, community and networking, the post-pandemic legal landscape has been lonely at best. Because of these reasons, I could not be more grateful to be a recipient of the Litigation Section’s scholarship for the 2021 Bench Bar Conference in Louisville. Since I’ve been admitted to the bar, I’ve been practicing for almost nine months and I have only been in an actual courtroom twice. Almost all my interactions with other professionals have been through zoom, webex, or innumerable telephonic hearings. However, I’ve never felt more connected to my profession and the Indianapolis legal community than during my weekend at Bench Bar.
While at Bench Bar, I was able to participate in numerous mixers, meet many of the judges I work with daily in federal court, and attend numerous CLEs. Some of the highlights from the weekend included the Mock Criminal Trial experience featuring the Honorable Judge Tanya Walton-Pratt and Katie Jackson-Lindsay, Civil Settlement Tips featuring an incredible panel of Civil litigators and mediators and Trivia Night. I learned so much about client communication, professionalism, trial skills and other practice areas.
Bench Bar gave me the incredible opportunity to finally connect with judges and the local attorney community with whom I’ve previously only exchanged emails. As a new lawyer, I know this experience has been so valuable to not only my professional development but also my resolve that I picked the right career path. I cannot wait to attend Bench Bar next year and reconnect with some of the great friends I’ve made in the legal community.
If you would like to submit content or write an article for the Litigation Section, please email Kara Sikorski at ksikorski@indybar.org.
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