The IndyBar Association and Foundation are set to welcome their 2024 leaders at the annual Leadership Celebration, Installation Breakfast & Annual Meeting on January 25 from 8-9 a.m. at Broadmoor Country Club. 2024 IndyBar President David Duncan and 2024 IndyBar Foundation President Travis Jensen will take the oaths of office, officially kicking off the year for the association and foundation. The board of directors for each organization and the section and division chairs for the association will also be installed at the breakfast. You can register to attend at indybar.org/installation. Please note, this event often sells out. Seats cannot be guaranteed for registrations received after January 19, 2024. 

Following changes made to accommodate social distancing in 2020, the Indiana Supreme Court permanently amended continuing education rules, lifting limits on distance education. Luckily, IndyBar stands ready to serve the needs of members who prefer virtual viewing with the largest collection of Indiana-specific on-demand seminars, all taught by local attorneys and competitively priced at $55.50 per credit hour ($110.50 for non-members). Our ever-growing catalog features many unique, one-hour programs. From inspiring and informative ethics seminars to classic legal updates, to bundles of seminars specific to practice areas. Keep reading for more details on the vast catalog of on-demand programming, or head to indybar.org/ondemandcle and get those final credits!

Your Indianapolis Bar Association Board of Directors today submitted to the Indiana Supreme Court a comment regarding proposed amendments to Admission and Discipline Rule 13 which would add a waiver provision allowing some currently disallowed law school graduates to sit for the Indiana bar exam.

Member Headlines: December 15, 2023
Congratulations to these IndyBar members on their accomplishments! Have something to share? Email Robert Adams to be featured.


Nick Alford has been promoted to partner at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. He represents clients in complex litigation, including product liability, mass torts, class actions and state attorney general actions. Nick also helps clients manage and mitigate risk associated with product recalls.


Olivia Clavio  has joined Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP in the Intellectual Property Department. Her experience includes advertising claim development, substantiation, and defense of claims; drafting contest and sweepstakes rules; social media interactive campaigns; user-generated content review; co-promotional agreements and influencer agreements.


Kian Hudson has been promoted to partner at Barnes and Thornburg LLP. Hudson assists clients through the litigation process and is a member of the firm's appellate practice.


Katrina Ornelas has joined Doehrmen Buba Ring as an associate attorney. 


Dylan Pittman has been promoted to partner at Barnes and Thornburg LLP in the Litigation Department. He serves governmental entities and businesses involved in all levels of state and federal litigation.


Jessica Reiss has been promoted to partner at Barnes and Thornburg LLP in the Environmental Department. Her work covers numerous positions in the environmental field including with a state regulatory agency, in environmental consulting, in house with regulated entities, and performing public and private research. 


Abe Shanehsaz  has been promoted to partner at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. He advises clients on all aspects of U.S. and international trademark, copyright, social media, internet and technology matters. Abe’s core experience includes national and international prosecution, clearance, due diligence, dispute resolution and agreement negotiation and drafting.


Dominic Yobbi has been promoted to partner at Barnes and Thornburg LLP in the Intellectual Property Department. He assists clients with a range of IP needs, particularly in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications.

 

Each year the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Annual Recognition Breakfast is capped off by the celebration of those members of the association celebrating their 50th anniversary in the practice of law in 2023. Storied careers, these lawyers are featured here and in past issues of The Indiana Lawyer. – 

Assigned court? 
Marion Superior Court Criminal 30

How long have you been a Marion Superior Court judge? 
Judicial officer?  I was appointed as Judge in March 2021.  I had no prior judicial experience.

Other projects, committees, or service roles you are involved in off the bench?  
I am on the Marion Superior Court Executive Committee and the Supreme Court Domestic Violence Advisory Committee.

Best tip you have for lawyers appearing in your court or criminal law courts in general?  
Be prepared. Have caselaw available.  Don’t take cases personally. Treat everyone with respect and kindness. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of more experienced counsel or the Judge.  You don’t know what you don’t know.

Your mentor(s) and the greatest insight you gained from them?   
I have had several mentors in my life, starting with my parents who taught me the value of hard work and never giving up.  As a new attorney, a defense attorney, Dave Martenett, who was opposing counsel in domestic violence court who taught me that the things that happen in court are secondary to the relationships outside of court.  Judicial mentors were Judges Sheila Carlisle and Grant Hawkins.  They were my first Judges when I became a prosecutor.  I try to learn something in all my interactions with people.  

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? 
My free time is spent with my family watching children play basketball, volleyball, dancing and acting.  I have recently taken up pickleball.  I enjoy reading, doing jigsaw puzzles and watching all the Star Trek available.

If you weren’t a judge, what would you be doing?
I would take up semi-truck driving, move rocks or retire to the beach renting chairs or selling ice cream cones.
 

IndyBar sections and divisions are continuing to seek potential members for its executive committees for 2024! We'd love for you to use this great opportunity and apply.

Member Headlines: December 1, 2023
Congratulations to these IndyBar members on their accomplishments! Have something to share? Email Robert Adams to be featured.


Thomas M. Fisher has joined EdChoice. He previously served as a Deputy Attorney General and as Indiana’s first Solicitor General. In that role he handled high profile litigation for the State, advised the Attorney General on a range of legal policy issues, and managed the State’s U.S. Supreme Court docket. 


Plunkett Cooney Attorneys & Counselors at Law has been named by Best Companies Group (BCG) as one of its 2023 Best Places to Work: Law Firms! Top performing law firms are ranked based on such factors as employee satisfaction, employee benefits, company policies, and more. Congratulations on this achievement!

As 2023 draws to a close, our inboxes suddenly receive a flurry of year-end reminders. Whether it’s an invitation to an after-hours holiday party, directives for collecting earned fees before the end of the fiscal year, or a panic inducing admonition that you have not satisfied your yearly CLE requirements, this time of year can be extremely stressful. It also makes it difficult to find time to reflect, even momentarily, on the elements of gratitude, fellowship, and generosity traditionally associated with our national Turkey Day and the upcoming holiday season. Instead, it’s much easier to daydream of a coveted end-of the year trip to a location that lacks Wi-Fi.

IndyBar is honored to announce the winners of these awards for 2023. 

The Deborah J. Shook Award for Excellence in Family Law recognizes Family Law section members who have made contributions to the legal profession and community, specifically demonstrating a commitment to furthering knowledge of issues affecting families as they relate to the law. This year it is awarded to Shelley Haymaker, Attorney at Law.

The Michael C. Daniells E-Discovery Professional of the Year Award, the E-Discovery, Information Governance and Cybersecurity recognizes professionals who have positively contributed or stands out in the local sector. This year it is awarded to Doug Swetnam, Office of the Indiana Attorney General.

The Criminal Justice Section Lifetime Achievement Award is periodically presented to a seasoned public servant within Indy’s criminal justice community. It honors an individual who has worked tirelessly to make the criminal justice system a better place for everyone. This year the award is given to Fran Watson, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

The Gil I. Berry Award is given to an outstanding member of the legal community by the Criminal Justice Section. It recognizes an exceptional non-lawyer in the criminal justice community in an attempt to shine a light on individuals who work, often behind the scenes, to make our community and profession a better place. This year’s it is jointly awarded to Donna Agal, Sherrie Gibson, and Marie Southern who all work at the front desk in the Community Justice Center.

The Patricia Paxton Wagner Excellence in Estate Planning & Administration Award is periodically presented to an individual showing extraordinary efforts and positive achievements administering the law in a fair and efficient manner, achieving and maintaining high standards of prompt service, improving public knowledge and awareness of section-related laws, and working constructively for needed reform of these laws when warranted. This year the award is given to Claire Lewis, Law Office of Claire E. Lewis.

The Women & the Law Division Mentor Award recognizes a need to honor female attorneys who are on the path to becoming trailblazers while also demonstrating a commitment to mentor others. Recipients are not only future leaders in the legal profession, but they are also making a concerted effort to help mentor and train other future trailblazers. The 2023 award was given to Kellie Barr, U.S. Courts of the Southern District of Indiana, in February 2023.

The Young Lawyer of the Year Award is given to an IndyBar attorney member who is 36 years old or younger or have been in practice eight years or less and have made exceptional contributions to support the Young Lawyer Division and its activities or programs, be recognized as a good role model for the legal profession, and be deserving of special recognition. This year the award is given to Amanda Gallagher, Barnes & Thornburg LLP.

The Zeff Weiss Excellence in Real Estate Award is potentially awarded to a practicing or recently retired attorney or land use planner in the Indianapolis community who has made significant impacts in the legal and development community in the same manner the original recipient (Zeff Weiss) did throughout his career. This year’s award is given to Rory O'Bryan, Harrison & Moberly LLP.