We can't believe the Bench Bar Conference is NEXT WEEK! Before we ship off to Louisville, we've got a couple events you won't want to miss this week. See the calendar and catch up on IndyBar news here.

Through the Virtual Ask a Lawyer program, individuals can chat in real time with an attorney who is prepared to assist with basic legal questions. The service, regularly available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, will be available for extended hours through 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8. 

A selection committee acting on behalf of the Indianapolis Bar Association and the Foundation has announced the selection of Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana as a recipient of the IndyBar's prestigious Luminary Award of Excellence. Chief Judge Pratt will be honored at the 2021 IndyBar Bench Bar Conference in Louisville, Kentucky on June 19.

I think we can all agree it would have been better if we had never heard of COVID-19. But I am grateful that its emergence gave us the ability to slow down (albeit briefly, because now we seem to be going at break-neck speed!) and really assess our business needs. Through it, we learned we don’t need a large office with all the overhead that goes along with it. We can serve our clients just as well from our home offices while still having the ability to meet in person when needed.

We hope you're well-rested after the long holiday weekend! Check out what's going on at the IndyBar this week and read recent news here.

The latest legal scoop to keep you in the loop: Here are the top five stories from the IndyBar this month.

Eric Buetens is a retired Florida attorney transplanted to Indiana, but most would say based on the pro bono pace he keeps that he is not really retired. Remarkably, Eric logged a whopping 1,300 hours of pro bono services in 2020.

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.