We sat down with Justice Dickson to get to know him. Meet him in person on May 21!

The IndyBar Appellate Practice Section is excited to be accepting applications for the Jill Ellis Scholarship to attend the Appellate Judges Education Institute (AJEI) 2019 Summit from November 14-17 in Washington, D.C. At least one scholarship will be awarded to cover the conference registration fee as well as a portion of travel and lodging expenses, up to a total of $1,500.

In Rowe v. Gibson, Judge Richard Posner and Judge David Hamilton famously sparred over the propriety of judges doing internet research in deciding cases pending before them. There are certainly arguments on both sides of the debate. 

The decision in an Indiana civil forfeiture case surprised almost no one. Based on the tone of the oral arguments, the United States Supreme Court’s ruling that the Eighth Amendment Excessive Fines Clause is incorporated to the states was a given to most attorneys.

What happens when a defendant simply drops the ball and fails to respond in a timely manner to a complaint and a default judgment is entered? Indiana courts have refused to hold such conduct as excusable neglect or a mistake allowing the set-aside of a default judgment under Ind. Trial Rule 60(B)(1).

The Indianapolis Bar Association Amicus Committee recently participated in two Indiana appellate cases as amicus curiae. Both cases present interesting and unresolved procedural questions of importance to appellate practitioners, and on this basis, the committee in each case urged the Indiana Supreme Court to accept transfer and offer guidance for the bar.

Maybe you’ve investigated whether or not the judge in your case prefers the Oxford comma. That’s fine, but Ross Guberman, president of Legal Writing Pro and the author of “Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation’s Top Advocates,” thinks your time would be better spent “developing the core persuasive writing skills that would make almost all judges much happier.”

This fall, I had the esteemed privilege of attending the annual summit of the Appellate Judges Education Institute (AJEI) in Atlanta, Georgia. The Appellate Practice Section of the Indianapolis Bar Association generously provided me with a scholarship to make this experience possible. The summit was invaluable to my work as an appellate public defender, and I thank the IndyBar and the Appellate Practice Section members for their support. 

The age of big data is upon us. Data in law is ubiquitous, informative of past decisions and helpful in prognosticating future results. How we make use of this data is often a topic of debate.​

Indiana's Court of Appeals recently upheld a judge's ruling that IBM owes Indiana $78 million in damages stemming from the company's failed effort to automate much of the state's welfare services.