As we emerge from behind our Vitamin D lamps and push aside the mountain of Amazon boxes by our front doors, let us spend a moment to game plan our reentry into this new/old world with five steps to making the most of our May.

Each year, the IndyBar publishes "Commonly Asked Questions about Indiana Law," a reference guide used by members when volunteering with association legal advice programs. This invaluable resource would not be possible without hours of hard work by many volunteer authors and editors.

Pursuant to a meeting of and unanimous votes by the Facility Security Committees for the federal courthouses in the Southern District of Indiana, Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt today issued a General Order, effective June 7, 2021, stating that fully vaccinated individuals will be allowed to access public areas of the four courthouses of the Southern District of Indiana without wearing a face covering or observing social distancing.

We're so stoked to finally see members and friends back together this Thursday at the long-anticipated IndyBar Block Party! We've got some other awesome things happening this week. See the IndyBar calendar and catch up on news here.

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Jimmy Gomez introduced a new bill, "For the 99.5 Percent Act," into Congress on March 25, 2021. The bill's current form is only 18 pages long, but its potential impact on federal estate and gift tax laws significantly affects estate planning. While it is impossible to determine if the bill will pass into law, some of the act's key elements may inspire Congress to increase the estate tax using other mechanisms should this bill fail. They might also seek to remove well-known tools like trusts to bypass taxation upon your death to generate revenue for federal programs.

As we start to make our way to a new normal, get away from your day-to-day routine, take some time to yourself and gain new perspectives! Our event lineup goes beyond education and includes time for you to safely catch up with colleagues at distanced open-air dinner events, receptions, health and wellness activities and casual bull sessions.

This week's IndyBar event lineup features chances for you to snag a few CLE credits (ethics, too) AND to give back to our community. See what's happening and read recent IndyBar news here.

While working at home, for albeit a relatively short period of time, I realized that the health of my professional working relationships was suffering. Perhaps you are still working from home. Perhaps you are still primarily attending meetings virtually. Perhaps you feel the same way.

An extremely informal survey of central Indiana judicial officers has revealed as many ways to divide the stimulus check as there are judicial officers. Some counties do not even have consensus among judges who hear family law cases. However, here are some options for attorneys to consider when speaking with their clients and when presenting cases for division of stimulus payments to the court (actual results in court may vary depending on a number of factors).

Whether you're looking for ethics credit, multi-hour programs or quick, one-hour CLEs, we've got something for you on our calendar this week! Read the latest IndyBar news and see the full events calendar here.