How can you keep up with pending legislation that’s important to you and your practice? With the help of Ice Miller LLP, the IndyBar Legislative Committee (chaired by Lacey Berkshire of Ice Miller LLP) provides weekly Bill Watch reports throughout the session, which highlight progress and recent actions taken on bills being monitored by the association.

Information regarding procedures, schedules and more for attorneys visiting the new Marion County Adult Detention Center or communicating with an inmate is now available.

The IndyBar is proud to be a finalist for the ABA's 2022 Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access! You can help our Virtual Ask a Lawyer program win the Brown Select Award, which is determined by public vote.

Truth is, there were bigger stories in 2021. Don't overlook the importance, though, of five "guilty" verdicts in the trial of actor Jussie Smollett, who was finally held accountable recently for the fake crime he staged nearly three years ago.

On January 18, the Marion County Judicial Selection Committee will conduct interviews of applicants for a Marion County trial court judicial position.

City County Building attorney access cards with an expiration date of Dec. 21, 2021 will be accepted into the new year as the transition to the new Community Justice Center begins. 

The Criminal Justice Section is excited to announce Jeremiah O’Connor has the recipient of the 2021 Gil I. Berry award. Jeremiah serves as Criminal Court D32’s (formerly G06) Chief Bailiff. In total, he has been a bailiff for 16 years, all under Judge Mark Stoner, and has worked for the county for 21 years. Jeremiah is an Acton Icon, where he lives with his wife, four children, two dogs, two cats and two horses. He graduated from Indiana University in 2005. Before college, Jeremiah guided Franklin Central High School to a 1999 Freshman County Championship in basketball, where he led the team in scoring, rebounds and steals.

More than 1,000 people were summoned for jury duty in the Ahmaud Arbery trial. Fewer than half appeared.

The IndyStar recently concluded its investigation, “Death Sentence,” involving deaths in the county jails across Indiana. Since 2010, approximately 300 people have died in county jails. The leading cause? Suicide, followed by natural causes. Interestingly, no records of those who died in custody were maintained until IndyStar’s investigation. 

The jury trial of Kyle Rittenhouse began recently. Rittenhouse is the Illinois teenager who shot and killed two people and paralyzed another from the waist down last year during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The case was already a national story, but the judge made news when he instructed the prosecution not to use the word “victim” to describe those who died or were injured. The court further ruled that if the evidence showed that those who were killed or injured had previously engaged in arson, rioting, or looting, the defense could call them arsonists, rioters, or looters.