The practice-area specific Bill Watch reports for Feb. 12 are now available. The reports highlight the pending bills of particular concern to different sections within the bar.

Does the duty to review proposed bills and determine their impact on our community rest only with our elected brothers and sisters in the Indiana Statehouse? Who else is responsible for reviewing those ideas, critiquing them, commenting on them, supporting or opposing them before they are signed into a law that we must all follow or we’ll face the consequences, whatever those consequences may be? The Indianapolis Bar Association leadership is diligently engaged in the task of carefully evaluating proposed bills and making the thoughtful determination regarding whether to take action to support, oppose or suggest amendments.

Chief Judge Jane E. Magnus-Stinson announced Feb. 12 that the court anticipates the resumption of in-person jury trials in all divisions of the Southern District of Indiana on Monday, April 5, 2021. Additionally, the clerk's offices in all divisions will reopen to the public on Feb. 16, 2021.

As a small firm practitioner who makes her money by providing personal legal services, networking is vital for the continued source of clients I need to support my business and keep my associates busy. Planning committees, non-profit boards, volunteering, social gatherings and local events were my go-to formula for expanding my circles and getting my name and face in front of people who needed to hire a lawyer for highly personal and sometimes sensitive reasons. They needed to have met me in person. They needed my name to come from someone they knew and trusted. At least, that is what I believed to be the only way, until that way no longer existed.

We hope you're well-rested after the long weekend! We have a full calendar full of webinars this week that are packed with information you won't want to miss, like vaccinations in the workplace, updates from the Indiana legislature and more. Check it out here!

The Indianapolis Bar Association is proud to offer complimentary access to "Widening Your View: Understanding Implicit Bias, Microaggressions and Your Professional Responsibility" for members during Black History Month.

The practice-area specific Bill Watch reports for Feb. 5 are now available. The reports highlight the pending bills of particular concern to different sections within the bar.

We're connecting with multiple lawyer-legislators this week for the inside scoop on the 2021 Indiana General Assembly (and a CLE credit!) Plan to join us for the Lawyer-Legislator Update on Wednesday, and see the upcoming calendar and the latest IndyBar news here.

Whether you are just getting started or lateraling to a new firm, navigating the day-to-day office relationships and a new routine can be overwhelming and outright intimidating. Throw in COVID-19 social distancing rules, masks, elbow bumps, Zoom, etc. and it’s not an easy task.

While the IndyBar and Indianapolis Bar Foundation’s successes are due in large part to the generosity and dedication of our community, the leadership, boards, and staff pirouetted through the minefields of 2020 like a barefoot parent dodging Legos on a hardwood floor.